Man dies after setting himself on fire in Surbiton

8:35am Saturday 13th September 2008

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A man has died after setting himself on fire in Surbiton last night.

The man, in his 30s, was taken to hospital after the incident in Brighton Road at 8.27pm last night.

He died in hospital this morning from severe burns.

Firefighters from Surbiton fire station were first on the scene and successfully rescued four other women from a block of flats on the corner of Brighton Road and Balaclava Road.

Watch manager Jim Laming said: “We were called at 8.27pm and were on the scene by 8.31pm.

“There was a woman hanging out of a second floor window sitting on a window ledge, a woman at a third floor window and two women on a flat roof.”

Crews using breathing apparatus managed to enter the heavily smoke logged flats and rescue the four women and a cat.

One other man managed to escape before crews arrived.

Roads around Surbiton were closed and crews from New Malden and Kingston also arrived at the scene to assist.

A Metropolitan police spokeswoman said: “Police were called to Brighton Road where a man had set himself on fire.

“He died in hospital this morning and four other people were treated for shock and smoke inhalation.

“We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.”

The spokeswoman confirmed the man’s next of kin had been informed and a post mortem examination would be carried out in due course.

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