Two elderly people have tragically died following a house fire in north London, police have confirmed.
Emergency services were called to a residential property on Albemarle Road in Barnet at 1.39am on Friday after the London Fire Brigade (LFB) reported a blaze. Four fire engines and approximately 25 firefighters from Barnet, Southgate, and Finchley stations were deployed to tackle the inferno.
The London Ambulance Service also attended the scene, where a 90-year-old man and a 90-year-old woman were treated but sadly pronounced dead.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated: "Their next of kin have been informed and they are currently being supported by specialist officers. The cause of the fire is currently unknown and an investigation into the circumstances is under way. Inquiries are being led by the LFB."
A resident of Albemarle Road, who wished to remain anonymous, recounted hearing a helicopter overhead in the early hours as emergency crews rushed to the address. She described the deceased as a couple who had been part of the local community for five decades.
"Just very sad and shocking for all the residents," she said. "We’re a quiet, quite suburban road, and nothing like that ever really happens here, so everyone’s quite shocked. They were a really sweet couple. Lovely people."
