Police believe a fire that claimed the lives of two Polish men in Belfast early yesterday was an accident.
The migrant workers, both aged in their 20s, died in the blaze at Camberwell Terrace in north Belfast despite efforts by firefighters to save them. Of the four men who escaped from the fire, one was still being treated in hospital last night.
There were initial concerns that the fire was started deliberately, triggering an immediate investigation by the PSNI and the fire service.
Yesterday afternoon, local PSNI commander Supt Gary White said the authorities now believed there was no malicious motive behind the fire.
"Certainly at this point we believe that this was a very tragic accident." The fire and rescue commander for north Belfast, Chris Kerr, also said the blaze started accidentally. A "painstaking" investigation would be carried out to find how it started.
Mr Kerr praised the courage and professionalism of his firefighers, who fought their way into the burning building about 3am. They rescued three people but unfortunately one of these men died later in hospital.
Two others made their own escape. The body of the second victim was found in the basement of the building where it is suspected the fire started.
Mr Kerr said the fire service was anxious to ensure that foreign migrants living and working in the North, especially those who might not speak English, were aware of proper fire safety precautions.
