Man and woman die in New Year's Eve house fire

  • Published

The bodies of a man and a woman have been found inside a badly burned house in south-east London.

Two people tried to enter the property in Ashmead Road, Deptford, in an attempt to rescue the pair but were unable to reach them.

Fire crews arrived at the house shortly after 21:30 GMT and later found the bodies of a woman in her 80s and a man in his 60s.

The Metropolitan Police said it was investigating the cause of the blaze.

London Fire Brigade station manager Lee Sparks, who was at the scene, said: "Neighbours alerted the brigade when they saw smoke coming from the house.

"Two members of the public entered the house in an attempt to rescue the occupants but were unable to reach them.

"These two people were treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service."

A police spokesman said officers believed they knew the identities of the dead, but were awaiting formal identification and confirmation that next of kin had been informed.

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