LATEST: Gardaí investigating after man dies in a house fire in Tipperary

A man has died in a house fire in Tipperary which broke out at just before midday on Sunday.

Units from Thurles Fire Service were called to the scene of the fire by a passer-by near the village of Ballingarry.

The fire, which broke out in a bungalow, was quickly extinguished by several fire units but the body of a man believed to be in his 40s was discovered inside.

The scene has been sealed off by gardaí and a forensic examination of the house will be carried out by members of the Garda Technical Bureau to determine the cause of the fire.

A Garda spokesperson said gardaí are investigating "all of the circumstances surrounding the death of a person following a house fire in Thurles".

"At approximately 11am, gardaí and fire services were alerted to a house fire at a property in Ballingarry, Thurles, Co Tipperary. The body of a man in his 40s was discovered inside the property and he was pronounced dead at the scene."

The man was taken to South Tipperary General Hospital and will be removed later to Waterford University Hospital where a postmortem will take place at a later date.

Investigating gardaí have preserved the scene to allow a technical examination to take place. Enquiries are ongoing.

It is not thought at this time that there were any suspicious circumstances surrounding the fatal blaze.

Gardaí in Thurles are appealing for anyone with information about when the man was last seen or who may have witnessed the fire breaking out to contact them on 0504-25100.