A 16-YEAR-OLD screamed “my friend is still inside” as a blaze ripped through a flat and tragically killed his teenage mate.
The fatal fire broke out in the first floor flat of a six-storey building in Southwark, London, just before 3pm yesterday.
One boy, aged 16, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Another 16-year-old boy was rushed to hospital with “serious facial injuries” after he managed to escape the fire.
His condition is currently unknown.
Neighbours told The Sun how the boy screamed “my friend is still in there” as the horror blaze tore through the flat.
Loreen Williams, 86, told The Sun: “There was a young guy who was on the pavement who was shouting ‘there is somebody still in the building’.
“He seemed okay but after a while he stood up and started swaying. They were pouring cold water on him. Apparently he had started coming out in blisters.”
Mum-of-two Elizabeth Coleman, who lives nearby, added: “My son came outside to see what was going on.
“He saw a boy lying on the floor who was shouting ‘my friend is still inside’.”
The 16-year-old who died is understood to have been visiting his friend at the time and did not live in the property.
Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters responded to the blaze after being alerted.
But the BBC reported that the fire station next to the flat was empty at the time – so crews from another station attended instead.
The blaze was brought under control just after 4.30pm on Wednesday.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Brigade’s Fire Investigation Unit and the Met Police.
The circumstances of the fire remain under investigation, although at this stage the incident is believed to be non-suspicious.
A Met Police spokesman told The Sun: “At around 15:00hrs on Wednesday, 18 March, police responded to reports of a fire at a residential address in Coopers Road, Southwark.
“Officers attended with the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service. A 16-year-old boy was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
“His next-of-kin are being supported by specially trained officers.
“Another boy – also aged 16 – was treated for serious facial injuries. He was taken to hospital, where we await an update on his condition.
“The circumstances of the fire remain under investigation, although at this stage the incident is believed to be non-suspicious.”
