Police remain at the scene of a fatal house fire which killed a man in his 40s in Witton Park.
Police and paramedics were called to a terraced house on Park Road after a fire broke out in the kitchen just after 8am on Friday, September 25.
Firefighters entered after reports that a man was still inside, while an air ambulance landed nearby.
Pictures taken on Saturday morning (September 26) show a police van stationed outside the home, with yellow barriers remaining in place while enquiries continue.
Police remain at the scene on Saturday (September 26)
Smoke damage remains visible at the front of the property.
Durham Police said early indications suggest that the fire appears to have started in the kitchen.
Police remain at the scene on Saturday (September 26)
The force said that although there is no evidence at this stage to indicate anything suspicious, a joint police and fire investigation is underway to determine the precise cause of the fire.
The residential street was taped off shortly after the blaze, with devastating pictures showing the charred aftermath of the fire, which has left the property scorched both at the front and back.
Residents described their shock at the flurry of 999 crews on the street, including police cars, fire engines, ambulances, and an air ambulance helicopter.
One 72-year-old woman, who lives on the street, said: “It was a bit of a shock.
"We saw the air ambulance after about 8.30am. We really only saw something when the ambulance dropped.
Police at the scene of a fire on Park Road in Witton Park
"It was a shock to see the ambulances and police down here, we don’t have them often. I don’t know whose house it is.”
Another woman who lives on the street said: “There were maybe three or four fire engines, maybe eight police cars and two ambulances and then the air ambulance landed about 9am.
"We couldn’t believe it but, to be truthful, I was inside all morning working so I didn’t see much more than that.
Police at the scene of a fire on Park Road in Witton Park
"You just don’t expect it, at 8am it was all quiet and then suddenly the street it so busy.”
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We were called to a fire at a private address in the Woodside area of Bishop Auckland at 8.12am on Friday, September 25.
Police at the scene of a fire on Park Road in Witton Park
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"We dispatched a clinical team leader to the scene."
A Great North Air Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “Our critical care team was activated at 8.38am to an incident in the Witton Park area of Durham.
“We had two paramedics and a doctor on board our aircraft and they arrived on scene at 8.48pm.”