Man killed in Edmonton flat fire kept 'himself to himself' (From Enfield Independent)

Man killed in Edmonton flat fire in Martin Close kept 'himself to himself'

3:48pm Monday 3rd September 2012 in News By Hermione Wright

A man who died after an Edmonton flat fire last week is described as having kept “himself to himself.”

The 48-year-old man, who lived in flat five, Martin Close, died at 12.30am on Wednesday after suffering severe burns and smoke inhalation from the blaze.

A man in the next-door block in Martin Close, who wished to be known only as Tony, watched paramedics treat the man after the fire, which started just after 5pm.

Although he believes he had seen the man before, he does not know his name.

He said: “I don’t know his name, he kept himself to himself.”

However, he believes the man was a Turkish national.

Tony left his building when he heard the commotion outside, and saw the victim standing in front of the property with his arms outstretched.

He said he was silent and was suffering from shock.

Paramedics spent approximately 40 minutes treating the victim before he was airlifted to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

The witness said there was a lot of smoke billowing from the property and a group of people had gathered in front of the block.

The victim's front door is damaged and fitted with a padlock to prevent entry. A small burn mark is also clear in the hallway.

A woman, who also wished to remain anonymous, was staying with her friend in the block when the fire started.

She escaped when she heard the fire brigade arrive and saw the man lying on the pavement in front of the block of flats.

She is also not sure who the victim is, and said: “My friend doesn’t know him, nobody knew him.”

She added: “There were lots of people outside. He was in a bad condition – he was lying flat on the ground.”

The victim’s next door neighbour told the Enfield Independent that he was out at the time of the fire and did not know who the man was.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The man's name is due to be released on Wednesday morning once an inquest is opened at the North London Coroner’s Court in Barnet.