Neighbours describe efforts to save man who died in Easington Lane fire

Fire and ambulance crews were called to the former Manor House care home in High Street, Easington Lane, in the early hours of this morning.

UPDATE: Two arrested on suspicion of murder after death of man in suspected arson at former care home

The man was found unconscious in the building and brought out but pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

One woman, who did not wish to be named, said: "It was about twenty past three.

"We saw the blue lights and heard a generator. There were about three fire engines and police cars."

Chief Fire Officer Chris Lowther has praised the efforts of firefighters at the scene.

The woman's husband described the efforts emergency crews had made to save the victim's life.

"We saw them trying to resuscitate somebody," he said.

"They were trying to revive him - it looked like the firemen. Then the stretcher came out.

"They put him on the stretcher but then they put him down and started trying to resuscitate him again."

This morning's fire comes just days after the building was at the centre of an earlier police incident when a man was allegedly involved in a rooftop stand-off with officers.

A 41-year-old man has appeared in court charged with burglary, affray, assaulting a police constable, possession of an offensive weapon and four counts of criminal damage after the incident.

"This used to be a very quiet area until just recently," said the woman we spoke to after the fire.

"I was absolutely lovely. It has just recently changed and I don't know the reason why."