A PENSIONER has died after a fire tore through his home.

Fire crews raced inside the house in Crowstone Avenue, Westcliff, yesterday morning and carried the unconscious 78-year-old out of his home.

They gave him first aid and he was rushed to Southend Hospital but died shortly after arrival.

It is thought the man, who has not yet been named, lived alone in the ground floor flat.

One neighbour said: “I could see smoke coming out of the chimney and the front door. It was really thick. My partner saw he was being given CPR and we feared the worst.”

The fire brigade were called by neighbours who said they thought someone was inside the building.

An ambulance crew arrived within seven minutes of being called.

Divisional officer Martin Powell, from Essex Fire and Rescue, said temperatures inside the flat would have reached 700 degrees centigrade.

He said: “It was a severe fire which caused a lot of damage. He had been in there a while and taken much smoke in. Firefighters faced a rapidly escalating situation.”

Police spokesman Donna Veasey said a police investigation ruled the fire was not suspicious. The fire brigade will now start its investigation to determine the cause.

A post-moretm examination has not yet been carried out.