Woolwich fire death: Neighbours describe horror after flat 'firebombed'

They told how a man threw an object into the property before it went up in flames in the early hours of this morning (September 6).

It is understood there were three people inside the flat in Centurian Square at the time the blaze began.

Neighbours said the dead woman, believed to be in her late 40s, was visiting from Sierra Leone, and died trapped inside the flat.

A man in his 60s - described as 'a lovely, kind person' - was taken to hospital along with a woman in her 50s who fell through a duvet held by neighbours when she jumped to safety.

FROM EARLIER: Woman found dead after suspected arson attack in Woolwich

Local residents described the terrifying moment the flat turned into an inferno - with people awoken by screams.

Theo Adler, who saw the events unfold, described seeing two men in black masks who sped away on a moped.

The 21-year-old said: "I saw the man run away from the window after breaking it.

"He was wearing a black hoodie and grey tracksuit bottoms.

"I could see him join his mate on the corner and they drove off on a moped - it was real fast.

"The whole thing happened so quickly."

Sixty firefighters tackled the fire which took two hours to bring under control.

Neighbours described the panic of residents as they left their flats for safety.

Solomon Anyanwu said: "It was too horrific to describe.

"We ran over and broke the windows, calling on them to come out.

"You couldn't see inside - it was filled with smoke.

"People got a duvet and asked them to jump out.

"As the woman jumped she fell straight through the duvet - it was horrible."

A resident said: "It was a bit mad to be real with you - it looked like something from an action film."

Another neighbour said she woke up to a loud bang which she thought might have been some sort of gas explosion.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said: "She was a lovely lady.

"Yesterday I heard the boom so when I came out I just saw the flame and people were screaming. I was just too shocked, I didn't know what happened.

"When I came there the old man was jumping from the top.

"He was just on the floor, it was horrible, I didn't want to watch.

"You see stuff like this online but life like this - I knew him, he's an old man, a very old man."

The fatal fire happened just a month after seven-year-old Joel Urhie died in an arson attack just four miles away in Deptford.

Last night's fire is also being treated as suspicious.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.