Elderly flat-dweller dies in 5am blaze at junction of Grafton Place and Churchway, Somers Town

Published: 1 April 2010
by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS

AN elderly man has died in a fire which ripped through his Somers Town home of more than 25 years.

The man has not been officially identified but has been named locally as a retired photographer called Freddie. Neighbours have been moved out of the private, six-flat block at the junction of Grafton Place and Churchway. 

Fire swept through the Victorian block at 5am on Monday as people were sleeping. A resident raised the alarm and 11 people escaped from the building near Euston rail station. No one else was hurt. 

It is thought nearly every home in the block has been damaged by the blaze or by water used to put out flames.

“It is a nightmare,” said a neighbour, who confirmed residents had been moved to temporary accommodation. The second and third floors have been boarded up. 

A post-mortem was due to take place yesterday or today (Thursday). The fire brigade is investigating the cause of the blaze.

Glen Blah, from Kentish Town fire brigade, said that the blaze was raging when colleagues arrived. He added: “The guys and girls did very well containing it to the floors they did. The reason why the fire spread was because it was an old Victorian building with timber floors and the embers fell to the floor below.”

A structural engineer is inspecting the building to determine whether it is safe for residents to return to their homes. 

Two other fire fatalities in Camden in the last month have been caused by discarded or fallen cigarettes. Victims were a man at a Wellesley Road care home in Gospel Oak and a disabled woman at her home in West Hampstead.