Tributes have flooded in for a 12-year-old boy who died after a blaze tore through a block of flats in south east London.
The schoolboy, named locally as Fabian Henry, died after a fire broke out at at his home in Orchard Gardens, Lewisham, just before midnight on Tuesday, Metro has reported.
Officers from Met Police attended with the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service, but despite their efforts, Fabian was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
A woman, aged 54, was taken to hospital by paramedics. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
Three further people left the building before firefighters arrived at the scene.
Witnesses described hearing Fabian’s mother shout ‘my boy, my boy, please help my boy’ as emergency services tried to save his life, according to the newspaper.
Members of Fabian’s family visited the block of flats this morning where they reportedly read out tributes and looked at flowers left at the scene.
Fabian has been described as a “lovely” boy and a “big Manchester United fan” by his family.
“The family wanted him to be a doctor. He was also very good at football. We are all heartbroken,” his aunt Suezette Edwards told Metro.
Fabian’s former teacher said he had a “great heart” and was a “talented” footballer who could play in any position.
Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled the fire at a block of maisonettes, London Fire Brigade said.
Firefighters confirmed a maisonette split between the ground and first floors was destroyed by the fire, while part of a maisonette split between the second and third floors was also damaged. The blaze caused further damage to a small part of the external fascia of the building.
The Brigade's Drone Team were deployed to provide the Incident Commander with an aerial view of the fire.
Crews from Greenwich, Lewisham, Lee Green and surrounding fire stations were also sent to the scene.
The fire was brought under control just after 2am on Wednesday and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Detective Chief Inspector Danian Reid, from the Met’s local investigations team in south east London, said: "This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with everyone involved.
“We continue to work alongside investigators from the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire.
“We understand the impact this will have on the community and there will be local neighbourhood officers, and other emergency services, in the area as enquiries continue."
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the London Fire Brigade but is not believed to be suspicious at this stage.
