Primrose Hill top-floor fire death

Published: 15 July, 2010
by JOSIE HINTON

AN elderly man was found dead after a fire ripped through his Primrose Hill flat yesterday morning (Wednesday).

The body of the pensioner, who is yet to be named by police but was in his 70s, was found by firefighters called to tackle the blaze in a top-floor flat in Princess Road, where he lived alone.

A next-door neighbour called the Fire Brigade when her alarm was triggered by smoke coming from the flat just after 11am. 

Officers cordoned off the street as three fire engines and around 15 firefighters battled the blaze for an hour.

The blaze was brought under control by midday, but fire crews remained at the scene into the afternoon, along with police officers and forensic teams.

There was extensive damage to the third-floor property but no one else was hurt. 

An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way, but police confirmed it is not being treated as suspicious. 

Ludmila Spericille, who runs Siciliana Dry Cleaners directly opposite the flat, said: “I didn’t see flames but I saw smoke coming out of the window – there was a lot of smoke. 

“Then very soon afterwards the fire engines started to arrive. They came very quickly.”

She added: “The man who lives there is a very elderly gentleman. I saw them bring him out on a stretcher. 

“His neighbour, who is a customer, told me he had died. He lived in the flat on his own and I’m not sure if he had any family. It’s very sad.” 

An inquest is expected to be opened by the end of the week, but last night (Wednesday) police were still establishing whether the dead man had any next of kin. 

A police spokeswoman confirmed the deceased was the sole occupant of the flat, but added that she could not confirm if he died in the fire or had been dead for some time.

Yesterday’s fire occurred yards from where another fire devastated a top-floor flat in Auden Place in October, in which a resident was rescued from the roof while neighbours were forced from their homes.