Hampstead fire: Woman dies in fire at block of flats

A woman has died in a fire at a block of flats in north London.

She was rescued from the four-storey building in Daleham Garden, Hampstead, in the early hours of Tuesday but died at the scene.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said about 20 people managed to escape from the building before crews arrived.

The cause of the fire, which took 60 firefighters about three hours to get under control, is being investigated. The woman who died has not been named.

Crews in eight fire engines, along with an aerial appliance, attended the scene after the alarm was raised just before 02:00 GMT.

Retired teacher Aura Romero, 72, was one of the residents who had to flee her home, but with no time to take any of her possessions.

She said: "I was already asleep in bed when it happened.

"I heard all these people running and shouting, someone knocked on my door and said: 'Come out! Come out!'

"I was able to get dressed but there was no time for shoes, I was walking around in the street in my socks until a gentleman gave me a coat and some shoes.

"I'm OK physically, but I am obviously quite upset. I don't know where I'm going to live."

LFB said the fire had badly damaged the ground and first floors of the building, while the second and third floors and roof were all destroyed.

Rupert Barnes had been staying with his fiancée, who lived in the building.

He said: "The fire brigade arrived within five minutes, but it was pretty clear this was going to be a serious fire just by the way it had taken hold quite quickly.

"It was pretty clear that we [needed to] act pretty quickly to evacuate the building.

"There was one lady who was very good at shouting at everybody, saying 'there was a fire' and to 'get out.'"