THE fire in Poole that caused the death of a Tesco home delivery driver is thought to have been started by cooking.

John Applebee, 68, who worked from the store’s Tower Park branch, was rescued from his blazing house in Beamish Road, Canford Heath, on Tuesday afternoon but was later pronounced dead. Neighbours raised the alarm after seeing flames coming from the kitchen at the rear of his home.

Mr Applebee was a maintenance man at the Rollalong modular construction factory in Three Legged Cross before retiring and joining Tesco’s dotcom business.

Fire station manager and investigation officer Clem Stanley said: “Following a thorough investigation between Dorset Fire and Rescue and Dorset Police, we believe the cause of this fire to have been cooking. This is one of the biggest causes of fires in Dorset.”

Mr Stanley added: “Unfortunately there were no working smoke alarms in this property, which has resulted in tragic consequences. Please ensure you have smoke alarms at home and they are tested once a week. They will give you an early warning to a fire and give you those vital few minutes to escape before calling 999.”

A post-mortem examination was due to be carried out yesterday to establish the cause of Mr Applebee’s death. An inquest is expected to be opened and adjourned next Tuesday.