AN elderly man died after a fire in his living room.

Firefighters found the man, thought to be in his eighties and a World War II veteran, dead after the fire broke out in Bristol Road, Congresbury at about 6.30pm on Wednesday, December 30.

A passer-by saw the blaze at the front of the bungalow and alerted a neighbour before ringing the emergency services.

Fire crews from Yatton, Clevedon and Weston attended the scene with four firefighters using hoses to put out the blaze in the lounge at the front of the property.

People living in neighbouring properties – including an elderly woman – were evacuated as a precaution and traffic on the A370 brought to a halt.

Firefighters found the man, who has not been named, sitting in an armchair, already dead.

The man, who has not yet been officially identified, was dead when they arrived.

The lounge area was badly damaged by the fire and the rest of the bungalow – which is on the main A370 through the village – suffered smoke damage.

The man is thought to have lived alone in the house where investigators have been working to find out the cause of the fire, believed to have started accidentally.

James Bladon, spokesman for Avon Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The first crews to arrive managed to contain the fire in the bungalow and stop it spreading to a bungalow next door, and evacuated an elderly lady from that house."

"Our investigation into this incident is now closed and we are satisfied it was an accidental fire.

"There are no suspicious circumstances and it seems as if it was just a tragic accident.

"The matter has now been passed to the coroner."