An elderly Rotherham man has been found dead by firefighters after they attended a kitchen fire on Friday afternoon.

The death is not thought to have been caused by the fire, which occurred after a pan had been left on the cooker.

Firefighters from Maltby and Rotherham were called to a bungalow on Norstead Crescent, Bramley, at 3.10pm. Upon arrival, they found a fire had developed in the cooking pan, but had been put out by a man who had been working nearby, saw the smoke and put the fire out using a wet cloth. The kitchen was extensively smoke logged and an elderly woman who occupied the house had been led outside by neighbours unharmed.

Firefighters then searched the rest of the bungalow, which had not been damaged by the fire, and found a man in his 80s dead in the bedroom.

Station Manager Steve Copp said: “This is a very sad incident and our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the deceased."

The fatality is not thought to have been caused by the fire, nor is it thought to be suspicious.