A man has tragically died following a fire in a block of flats in Kingston, South London. Emergency services, including the London Fire Brigade (LFB), were called to Elm Road at around 8:18pm on Monday, October 21, after receiving multiple reports of a fire.
Crews from Surbiton, New Malden, Richmond, and other surrounding fire stations responded to the blaze, which destroyed a two-room flat on the first floor of the two-story residential building. Firefighters worked for several hours and had the fire under control by 11:18pm.
Despite the swift response, a man was rescued from the flat by firefighters wearing heavy-duty protective gear but was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics from the London Ambulance Service (LAS). Another male resident was rescued using a nine-meter ladder, while two additional residents received treatment from paramedics at the scene.
A total of 29 residents were evacuated from the building and taken to safety, receiving support from the local authority. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.
A Spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said, “This is a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased. We are working closely with the London Fire Brigade to determine the circumstances that led to this fire. We urge anyone with information to come forward.”
Further updates will follow as the investigation progresses.
