A FATAL house fire in Marton on Sunday night is believed to have been accidental and "probably caused by an electrical fault in an appliance".

The assessment was made by the investigator looking into the cause of the fire.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the blaze just after 11pm on Sunday, July 16.

A spokesman said three crews were sent to a residential address in Marton, and tackled the fire until 3am on Monday morning.

The spokesman confirmed one body had been found at the converted property, to the rear of Potters Lodge.

Villagers in the community have voiced their shock at the death.

William Tweddle, chairman of the Marton parish meeting, spoke of the community's sadness and said: "Our thoughts go out to the family of the person who died."

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, described the scene on the night itself and said that they heard shouting, and went out to see billowing smoke.

They said: "Within minutes there were flames everywhere. It was unbelievable, very intense.

"How the house didn't go up I don't know," they added, referring to the adjacent Potters Lodge building.

"We are all in shock. It's horrible. The intensity of the heat, and the speed of it."

Another neighbour said that part of the building was used as a garage, with assorted tools in it.

They added that they thought there were gas canisters “going off and exploding”.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said the force was contacted at 11.30pm by the fire service, and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service also attended.

She said: "Sadly, a body was found inside the property at around twenty past midnight.

"There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident. We are not in a position to release the identity of the deceased."