Luton flats fire: Man who died had fallen from window, say police

Emergency services were called to the 15-storey tower block in Luton on Thursday morning

A man who died following a fire at a block of high-rise flats had fallen from a window, police said.

Bedfordshire Police said five officers had gone to Green Court in Hockwell Ring, Luton, on Thursday to investigate a series of attempted arson attacks

The force said when officers arrived they found the entrance to the flat on fire and, despite attempts to rescue a man inside, were overcome by flames.

Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra said it was "a tragic case".

One officer remains in hospital with serious burns, while four others have been discharged after receiving treatment for "minor injuries and smoke inhalation".

Police said detectives had been investigating three attempted arson attacks on local properties in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and used CCTV footage to identify an occupant of the flats as a suspect.

As part of the investigation, they were deployed to a flat on the 14th floor on Thursday and arrived to find the fire.

As the blaze took hold, the occupant fell from a window and "sadly died", police said.

More than 100 residents were evacuated from their homes but most returned by Thursday evening

Formal identification has yet to take place, but police have made contact with the next-of-kin of who officers believe him to be, and specialist officers are supporting his family, the force said.

ACC 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."

The force was "carefully recovering all possible evidence from the scene and assisting residents who had been displaced from their homes", he added.

He praised the bravery of the police 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."

He appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

About 100 people were evacuated from the tower block

More than 100 residents were evacuated from the 15-storey building on Thursday morning, with the majority allowed back into their flats by the evening.

Bedfordshire Police referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct but the watchdog passed the matter back to the force to "deal with as they deem appropriate".

Forensic officers were seen working on scaffolding close to the ground floor of the tower block