The Hackney flat where an explosion yesterday killed one man and left two others fighting for their lives was being used in cannabis production, the Gazette understands.
Flames ripped through the Stamford Hill flat yesterday afternoon at 2.30pm, leaving a 30-year-old man with severe burns, from which he died eight hours later at the specialist Broomfield burns unit in Essex.
Flammable substances used in the refinement of the class B drug may have been a factor in the blast, it is believed.
The fire in a second-floor flat in Wicklow House on the Stamford Hill Estate has also left a 29-year-old man and a 28-year-old man fighting for their lives with burns.
Another man, aged 28, is in a stable condition.
Scotland Yard would not comment on the cannabis allegations, saying only an investigation was “ongoing”.
Det Insp Paul Ridley from Hackney CID said: “A number of residents in the block of flats have been evacuated and placed into emergency accommodation overnight.
“An investigation has been launched to establish the circumstances of this incident.
“I would request anyone who can provide any further information, who witnessed the explosion or the immediate aftermath, to contact my investigation team.”
A post-mortem has been scheduled and the man’s next of kin have been informed, Det Insp Ridley added.
Anyone with information is asked to call Hackney CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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