On 21 October 2018, a retired maths teacher Ratna Alexander, aged 82 died in an alleged gas explosion in north-west London.
On Sunday morning, the first-floor flat in Fulbeck Way, Harrow, was destroyed. Due to the severity of the explosion, the first floor of the flat had collapsed. Most of the brickwork and foundations of the flat lay as rubble in the skips outside the flat. Approximately by 03:30 am, the London Fire Brigade had the fire had under control. From a second-floor flat, a woman, a man, and a baby were also saved via an aerial ladder platform and were all treated on site and taken to a hospital as well, by the London Ambulance services, to be treated for smoke inhalation. Later on at 04:00 am, Ratna was found inside the first-floor flat of Willow Court and pronounced dead.
Around 70 firefighters had put out the flames and as a precaution, a 20m barrier was put in place. In addition, around 40 neighbours were evacuated from their homes. Harrow Council helped one of the neighbours to book into a hotel and other evacuees had found places to stay themselves.
The incident follows another gas explosion at a house in Wimbledon, when the explosion tore off the front of the terraced home, on a Friday evening. The Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade still continue to explore the source of the explosion, which they believe was due to a gas explosion and her death is currently being investigated.
