Unsafe construction work contributed to a fire breaking out and killing a man at a Greenwich nightclub, a jury has decided.

Tomas Ceida, 28, died in hospital on August 9, 2016 - the day after he was caught in the blaze at Studio 338 on Boord Street.

Construction was underway to install a new glass ceiling at the nightclub when the fire broke out at around 12pm.

Staff and construction workers often slept at the venue after shifts and Tomas is believed to have been asleep at the time after working a late shift.

He was stuck in the building before 100 firefighters arrived to tackle the fire which spread to a nearby industrial warehouse.

He escaped the fire but died in hospital the following day with the cause of death given as burns and inhalation of fire fumes.

News Shopper: The smoke from the fire was visible from miles awayThe smoke from the fire was visible from miles away (Image: London Fire Brigade)

The London Fire Brigade, the Health and Safety Executive and the Metropolitan Police all carried out lengthy investigations into the fire which were eventually concluded in 2021.

A jury inquest was held in February 2023 and a jury concluded that several issues contributed to Tomas’ death.

The jury said unsafe and inadequately supervised construction work using power tools was taking place, which may have caused the spark which started the fire and spread to an unsuitable soundproof wall which was made of hay or straw.

The jury also identified that there was a failure to agree roles and responsibilities for fire safety on the construction site which led to a disorderly evacuation.

There were also inadequate fire risk assessments in place covering Studio 338.

A Prevent Future Deaths report written by Coroner Andrew Harris said: “It is understood that changes in the law and duties of securing general fire precautions have changed since the fire.

“It is not clear that the public and future contractors are necessarily aware of the processes and duties.”

At the time colleagues at Studio 338 paid tribute to Tomas, describing him as “pure and beautiful”.  

A statement from the nightclub said: “We are all so devastated to lose him like this. Everything we do from now on is for you, our brother.”