Firefighters in Elm Street on Monday

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INVESTIGATORS are piecing together the sequence of events that led to a flat fire which killed a man in his 60s.

Emergency crews were called to Holsworthy Square in Elm Street, Holborn, on Monday morning but the London Fire Brigade said that his death was pronounced at the scene.

It said that it was trying to establish what had sparked the flames at the five-storey block managed by the ­Origin housing association

The man has not been named but neighbours said this week that he had lived alone and was visited by a carer. They said he used a zimmer frame to get around and hardly left his three-room home on the first floor. He was also described as being French-speaking, but unable to talk in recent years.

“He was a very stylish person. He had a hat on all the time. He used to wear those Indiana Jones hats and sunglasses,” one resident told the New Journal. “He was a clean-cut person basically.”

Neighbours saw smoke billowing out of this window

Another neighbour, Ama Osapanin said she had witnessed smoke billowing out of the flat early on Monday morning. She rushed to wake the person living above the burning flat and called the Fire Brigade.

Ms Osapanin said: “I noticed smoke and the kitchen window was open. I couldn’t work out where it was coming from so I called 999. “It wasn’t a burnt toast smell. It was a smell to be worried about so I went outside and knocked on [his above neighbour’s] door.”

She added: “His smoke alarm was going off. I could hear it ringing. I didn’t realise what it was till I was outside. I saw the smoke coming out of the actual flat. We all evacuated and just sat downstairs. It’s really tragic and sad. It’s all a bit surreal.”

The neighbour who Ms Osapanin rescued also spoke to the New Journal, but asked not to be named.

He said: “I don’t know what would have happened yesterday. I would have died from intoxication if it wasn’t for my neighbour knocking on the door I would have died. To be honest I don’t feel safe here at all really.

“It’s a tragedy that he died. He needed more help really.”

The resident had spent the whole day cleaning his flat which was “covered in black” from the smoke.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the brigade said, and that engines from Soho, Euston and Islington had been sent to the scene.

A statement from Origin Housing said it had been saddened to learn of the man’s death, adding: “Our thoughts are with their family, friends, and neighbours at this difficult time.

“We aren’t able to divulge personal information about our resident, but we are supporting the London Fire Brigade and Police with their investigations, and our colleagues have been on-site to provide assurance to local residents and offer support where needed. The building is subject to regular fire risk assessments and was last assessed in 2023.”