Old Kent Road
(Picture: Google )A man reportedly climbed naked out of a first floor window to escape a fire in Old Kent Road which killed a woman in her 20s on New Year’s Day.
The blaze sparked from a flat above Nigerian restaurant Calabar Zone on Sunday in the Southwark neighbourhood, near the junction with the B203.
Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters from London Fire Brigade responded at around 5pm but the woman died at the scene. A crime scene was put in place but the cause of the fire is yet to be established.
Omar Amjad, who works at a chicken eatery on the road, told MyLondon the building went up in only two minutes. “It started upstairs,” he said.
“A couple came out of the bottom window and another guy came out butt naked, he did not wear anything. Everyone was screaming from the outside. Some people threw him clothes then he went away and no-one saw him.
“Flames were just flying out. It was two minutes and the whole building was on fire... When it started I thought everyone came out. People were trying to knock the door out but they could not open it. When the fire brigade came they smashed it down.”
The Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade are now investigating the incident.
A statement from the police read: “Police were called to Old Kent Road, shortly before 5pm on Sunday, January 1 to reports of a fire.
“Officers attended along with the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service. Residents were evacuated and road closures were put in place.
“Sadly, one woman, believed to be in her 20s, died at the scene. A crime scene has been put in place.
“Enquiries as to the cause of the fire are ongoing.”
