Croydon Sanderstead Road house fire: Three men dead - another in a critical condition

Three people have now died following a house fire in south London overnight on Friday (December 29).

London Fire Brigade (LFB) tackled a blaze in Sanderstead Road, South Croydon. Most of the ground floor of a two-storey end-of-terrace house was damaged.

Two people were pronounced dead at the scene, one believed to have been in his 40s. Another, believed to have been in his 30s, died later in hospital.

Police are investigating the fire, with LFB, and the Met says officers are working to confirm the identity of the three men and inform their family.

A fourth and fifth man later self-presented at hospital. One of the men, aged in his 30s, remains in a life-threatening condition. The fifth man has been discharged from hospital.

Chief Inspector Imran Asghar of the South Area BCU said: “This is an extremely sad incident, which has led to the deaths of three men, while a fourth man remains in hospital in a critical condition.

“My colleagues have made significant progress towards confirming the identities of the men and providing support to their families. This process is ongoing. At this stage, I understand that the three men who have died were Polish nationals, as are the other two men who attended hospital.

“Enquiries by specialist police and fire investigators are under way to establish the cause of the fire. Anyone with information that may assist is asked to call police on 101, ref 7129/29DEC23.”

The brigade was called at 10.39pm and the fire was brought under control by 12.16am. Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters from Croydon, Purley, Woodside, Norbury and Wallington fire stations attended.