One woman died and another is fighting for life today after fire swept through a house in Tottenham.
The two women were rescued by fire crews shortly before 11am and rushed to hospital but one, believed to be in her 70s, died an hour later.
The condition of the second woman, thought to be in her 30s, was said to be life-threatening.
The blaze was in St Loys Road, just 300 yards from the local fire station.
A mother giving her name as Tess said she knew the pair, believed to be a mother and daughter, from the school run at Bruce Grove School, which is just metres away from the burnt out semi-detached home.
The 39-year-old said: “We see the mum going to school every day. She has a young daughter in my sons Year 5 class. She always waves and says hello.
"We just hope can pull through. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.
“I still can’t believe someone has died a ten second walk from the fire station. It’s shocking.
“If someone was shouting we didn’t hear, it’s such a quiet road. But no-one heard anything.”
Another neighbour, 50, said a passerby alerted the road by screaming for help when she saw smoke billowing from the upstairs bedroom.
She said: “I heard one lady shouting “Help, fire” from the street.
“I came out and saw fire engines and came back inside. I feel so sorry for the family just before Christmas.
“They are a nice family they’ve been her since the 70s, I think. The whole road will be affected by this.”
London fire brigade said four fire engines and around 25 fire-fighters were sent to the scene.
A spokesman said the two women were rescued from the first floor, half of which was alight when fire crews arrived.
There were three people in the house at the time but the third, a man, was able to escape on his own.
Police said the cause of the fire was not yet known.
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