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Islington Tribune - by JAMIE WELHAM
Published: 8 February 2008

The scene of the fatal fire in Penn Road

Three perish in 'ferocious' house blaze

Veteran actor narrowly escapes fatal blaze

A VETERAN actor escaped from a flat fire that killed three people at the weekend.
John Underwood, 40, Richard Blackburn, 63 and Patricia Emberson, 53 – all from Holloway – died in the blaze that engulfed three storeys of a Victorian semi-detached house in Penn Road on Saturday night.
David Killick, who recently appeared in the History Boys film and television favourite A Touch of Frost, was reading in his basement flat when the flames took hold in the floor above him around midnight.
Witnesses said the fire raged for over four hours, spreading from the ground floor into the roof of the house and was finally put out around 5am.
Mr Blackburn, who owned the bottom two flats, was trapped inside the burning building along with his friend Mr Underwood and Mrs Emberson who lived in a separate flat above.
Firefighters were on the scene by 12.30am and battled with the blaze from the ground floor upwards – entering the house through the front door and eventually smashing in the roof out of desperation.
They pulled one body from the scene, that of Mr Underwood, and rescued Mrs Emberson and Mr Blackburn who were taken to the Whittington Hospital where they died from burns and smoke inhalation.
Neighbour Paul Evison, 64, said: “I smelled smoke and thought it was our house that was on fire. But when I went out and looked opposite there were flames coming from the house opposite.
Then there was a massive explosion. The flames were ferocious, like a whirlwind, and you could actually see them moving through the house. The firemen ended up smashing in the roof to try halt it.”
The fire brigade and the police are still investigating the cause of the fire, which is not being treated as suspicious.
Detective Inspector Mark Gower from Islington police said: “Mr Blackburn and Mr Underwood were asleep in Mr Blackburn’s bedroom when the fire started. It appears the bed was where the fire started and we suspect it was probably a smoking cigarette that started it.”
Mr Killick is believed to be staying with a friend until the investigation has concluded and it is safe for him to return home.
Mr Killick has appeared in dozens of films and television programmes including Midsomer Murders, Lovejoy and The Famous Five.
He declined to comment.

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