Investigation launched after one person dies in fire in Surrey
Police and Surrey Fire and Rescue are looking into what happened
Last updated 22nd Mar 2021
An investigation is underway after one person died in a fire at a home in Surrey.
The blaze broke out in a residential property on Holly Lane West in Banstead on Friday (19 April).
Fire crews were called to the scene at around at 2.40am.
Six fire engines, including an aerial ladder platform, were used to fight the flames.
In a joint statement, issued at the weekend, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service and Surrey Police said they are looking into what happened.
Both also said they "send thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of the resident."
Surrey Fire and Rescue have also issued a separate statement, saying that while the investigation is still ongoing, "early signs do show us that there were no working smoke alarms and other fire prevention related issues that our service is working towards improving."
It went on to say: "With no smoke alarms and the incident being so early in the morning, therefore less people up and able to raise the alarm, it’s difficult to say anything about any other possible outcomes and we shouldn’t speculate at such an early stage in the investigation.
"Crews attended this call in just under 14 minutes which is over our response time target of 10 minutes averaged across all incidents. This will be part of the wider investigation as well as cause and time the fire started.
"We offer Safe And Well visits where we visit the homes of vulnerable people and work towards making them more fire safe - whether they have requested the visit or been referred to us (this can be by anyone - health/care professional, family member, neighbour).
"We will ensure residents are kept up to date and learnings are shared throughout our organisation.
"Thank you again to all staff and partners for their response and residents for their cooperation."