Work continuing to identify man who died with dog after canal boat fire
Work is continuing to identify a man who died along with a dog after a fire on a canal boat in South Staffordshire.
Emergency services were called to the scene at Wobaston Road, off Pendeford Mill Lane, in Bilbrook at around 2.43am on Friday.
A man and his dog were discovered dead after the blaze was extinguished and a post-mortem is due to take place shortly.
His death is still being treated as unexplained and the boat has since been removed from the canal for forensic examination.
Keith Pemberton, who owns a boat on the same stretch of canal, said he had been sleeping on his boat at the time when he was awoken by the police.
He said: "They came knocking on my window and when I opened it, they told me my barge was on fire, to which I asked if they were joking as it's metal, but then they then pointed out what was happening about three feet away from me.
"It was like a furnace as it was that hot and they were offering to pull the boat back, but I was able to get it started and pull it away from the fire, which kept coming and coming and ended up quite a bit up the bank.
"I didn't really know the man in the boat as he kept himself to himself and didn't really come out of his boat, but it's sad to hear that he and his dog have died as nothing like that has ever happened around here before."
The force is working with the Canal and River Trust, West Midlands Fire Service and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service for the investigation.
