An explosion at a property in Brading is being treated as an accident but specialist fire investigators haven’t been able to examine the scene of the fatal incident over fears of a building collapse. It was on 1st December that the semi-detached home of 60-year-old John Kent was devastated by a fire, which spread to the adjoining property. Locals reported hearing 2 loud explosions. Sadly, despite the best efforts of all involved, Mr Kent died at Salisbury General Hospital on 9th December, as previously reported by Island Echo. The tragic incident at the start of the month has left the property a burnt-out shell with just the brick walls standing. Engineers fear that what remains of the building could collapse. Due to the risk posed to firefighters, the cause of the fire has not been established. A spokesperson for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service has said:
“The property was examined by a structural engineer and deemed unsafe to enter due to the risk of the building collapsing, therefore we are not able to establish the cause of the fire. “There are no indications that this was a criminal act, so is being treated as an accidental incident. “In the case of any fire related death, we work with the coroner’s office and provide all the available details”.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has confirmed that the matter is now with the coroner and they are not investigating the fire or Mr Kent’s death.
