Family 'devastated' as Pinner man burned in flat fire (From Harrow Times)

Family 'devastated' as Pinner man burned in flat fire

8:37pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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A MAN was left with serious burns after a fire ripped through a Pinner flat where there was no smoke alarm.

The victim, thought to be Mark Hornibrook, managed to escape with his flatmate as the flames torched 60 per cent of the first floor of the building, in Bridge Street, at around 9pm last night.

He was rushed to Northwick Park Hospital, where his “devastated” relatives have been by his bedside, and will be transferred to a specialist unit as soon as it is safe to move him.

His flatmate was taken to the same hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

Colin Chester, owner of the Tyre and Exhaust Exchange, below the flat, said: “They were in the process of doing the flat up, decorating and everything else. I think he only had one room left to go.

“It is very shocking and very sad because they are a nice couple and they were getting their place the way they want it.

“The whole family are devastated. Mark's in such pain. Once the pain starts going the doctors can start assessing what sort of treatment he can have.”

Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters were rushed to the scene at around 9.10pm and had the fire under control by 10.50pm.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

Mr Chester said: “I had to go down and open up to make sure everything was safe and turned off down here. It was going up quite well, they had four pumps down here.

“It was under control but still going. All I was worrying about was the people in the flat. I was worried there might be two people up there and I didn't want them getting hurt.

“You can replace and rebuild things but it can be very hard to repair the human body. As long as they are well that's all I'm interested in.”

Paul O’Shea, watch manager at Harrow Fire Station, said: “There were no smoke alarms in the flat. We’d advise everyone to ensure they have a working smoke alarm on every level of their home.

“An alarm is the easiest way to alert you to the danger of fire, giving you precious time to escape. They are cheap, easy to get hold of and easy to fit.”