Residents of a council block in Sutton have recalled the terrifying moment a fire ripped through a ground floor flat over the Easter weekend, forcing families from their homes and leaving the close-knit community in shock.
Resident Josh Edwards-Nelson described how the destructive blaze ripped though his flat in Denmark Gardens, Carshalton just moments into an Easter egg hunt he organised for his children.
“We left my children and nephews inside while we went outside to put out Easter eggs in my front garden and neighbour Sharon’s garden,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). “Five minutes later, we told the children to come outside to start the Easter egg hunt — seven minutes later, the fire started.
“Sharon said ‘I can see some smoke coming out down there’. So I walked down there calmly. I took one look in and all I could see was my whole house engulfed in flames — it was a goner.”
The fire tore through Josh’s flat shortly after 5pm last Saturday (April 4). While his children were safely kept away, the family dog, Duggey, an English bull mastiff, remained trapped inside as thick smoke filled the building.
“While waiting for the fire brigade, we tried to smash the front window open to get to the dog,” he said. “We smashed it open and tried to pull him out, but he was lifeless.”
He added: “It got worse and we stepped back and watched the house burn down.”
The fire brigade arrived within minutes, with four fire engines and around 25 firefighters, who eventually retrieved Duggey. He was taken to a vet after firefighters attempted to revive him at the scene, with witnesses describing desperate but ultimately futile efforts to save the animal.
“They brought the dog out, tried to resuscitate it and everyone saw it. It was very traumatic,” said Carolyn Morris, a local resident with close ties to the community.
“It wasn’t nice,” added neighbour Sharon Cooper. “Especially when you know there was a dog trapped in there and there was nothing you could do.”
After controlling the blaze at 6.35pm, the fire brigade confirmed that Josh’s flat was destroyed and part of a split-level flat above was also damaged. The fire is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault, and no other injuries were reported.
Josh said the fire has now left him unable to return home nearly a week on from the incident. “It really annoyed me that I was not allowed into the property,” he told the LDRS. “I just want to go into my house and say goodbye — I’m a sentimental person.”
He is currently staying in a Travelodge in Morden with his two children after being moved into emergency accommodation on the night of the fire.
Josh said he had been informed he would receive £15 a day for an adult and £10 per child, but initially did not receive the payments from Sutton Council, or Sutton Housing Partnership (SHP) which manages the block, despite chasing them up. The money has now been paid, although he remains in the hotel for the foreseeable future.
“The children have been telling me about their nightmares,” he told the LDRS. “They are both struggling in their own way, but they are getting through it.”
The flat, part of a council-owned block managed by SHP, has since been boarded up amid ongoing safety concerns. Carolyn told the LDRS that other tenants have also been moved out after the fire reportedly disturbed asbestos in the building.
“Josh and his children have lost everything,” she added. “Looking from outside in, the whole flat was just black.”
Carolyn also spoke of her wider concerns regarding the condition of the building, which her son previously lived in with his family. “There is something so wrong with that block,” she said.
“People are speculating about what is going on there — is it mice chewing the wires?” she asked, referring to the building’s long-running pest problem, which the LDRS has previously covered.
Josh also shared a history of problems in the flat — where he had lived since 2020 — including damp and electrical faults. “I knew that in that house there was no point redecorating, there was always something that came up,” he said.
“I got a brand new cooker, and every time I use it, it tripped the switches,” he said. “SHP said it was to do with my cooker; I told them it was to do with the flat because absolutely nothing works in that flat for more than a week or so.”
He added that issues such as the mouse infestation and delays to repairs had left him frustrated. “To be honest, I stopped telling them when I needed a repair because you know they weren’t coming,” he said.
“We all feel a bit down,” Sharon told the LDRS, speaking for the residents left at Denmark Gardens. “Surely all flats should have an electrical test now, because if one flat can go up like that, who’s to say the others can’t?”
SHP said it had responded immediately and is continuing to support those affected. A spokesperson said: “We know that these events are extremely distressing and, as soon as we were notified about the fire, colleagues from SHP were on site to support residents and the London Fire Brigade.”
They added: “Those residents affected have been rehoused and we are working closely with them to ensure they have the support they need, including money for food. We are extremely sorry if financial support was delayed and we have contacted both families to ensure they have and will continue to receive support.”
They also said investigations into the cause of the fire were ongoing and that repairs and pest control teams had been working to maintain the block.