Man who died during Luton apartment block fire "fell from window"
Emergency service were called to the scene at Court Green at around 4am.
Last updated 22nd Apr 2022
Further details regarding the incident at Green Court, Luton, yesterday morning (21/4) in which a man died have now been released by Bedfordshire Police.
The man, who is in his 50s, died after falling from a window on the 14th floor of the block during a fire which led to more than 100 residents being evacuated from their homes.
The majority of those affected were allowed back into their flats by Thursday evening.
Detectives investigating three attempted arson attacks at properties in the area in the early hours of Wednesday morning had identified an occupant of the flats as a suspect through CCTV enquiries.
As part of the ongoing investigation, a team of five officers, from Response and CID, were deployed to a flat on the 14th floor at 4am on Thursday.
However, on arrival officers were confronted with a fire at the entrance to the flat.
The officers tried to gain entry to the property to get the occupant to safety, but were overcome by the fire. One of the officers in particular suffered serious burns and remains in hospital.
As the fire took further hold of the flat, the occupant fell from the window and sadly died. While formal identification is still yet to take place, police have made contact with the next of kin of who officers believe him to be, and specialist officers are supporting his family.
As with any case which involves serious injury or death following police contact, the matter was immediately referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and Bedfordshire Police continues to work with them to ascertain all of the facts.
Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra said: “This is a tragic case and we are working hard to establish all of the facts of what took place. Our focus yesterday was on identifying the man who had died and tracing his family members before we released any further information publicly.
“We have also been carefully recovering all possible evidence from the scene and assisting residents who had been displaced from their homes.
“What is clear from the evidence collected so far is the bravery of the attending officer, who tried to fight through the flames to save the man inside. Our thoughts remain with both him as he recovers in hospital and the loved ones of the man who sadly died.”
Cllr Tom Shaw, Luton Council's housing boss, said there was "no indication that cladding was in any way a factor".