Second man dies after Hackney hostel fire

A second man has died after jumping 25ft from a window to escape a fire in a disused hostel last month.

Scotland Yard said Lukas Gorkowski, 31, died in the early hours of this morning in hospital, where he had been in a critical condition with burns and injuries he sustained after jumping from the hostel in Hackney, east London.

Another man, Krzysztof Waleczek, 32, died of smoke inhalation during the blaze in Lower Clapton Road on August 4, which police said they are treating as suspicious.

A 37-year-old man was arrested in the vicinity of the building the day after the blaze on suspicion of arson. He is due to answer bail in early October, police said.

Both dead men were Polish nationals and had no fixed address, police said.

Mr Gorkowski died at the Royal London Hospital, where he was taken following the fire.

An inquest into the death of Mr Waleczek was opened and adjourned on August 9 at Poplar Coroner's Court.

His cause of death was given as smoke inhalation after a post-mortem examination at Poplar mortuary the previous day, police said.

It took 40 firefighters to tackle the blaze after they were called out at around 4am on Saturday August 4.

A man and a woman who were rescued from the roof of a porch by firefighters were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and were later discharged.

Another man escaped uninjured.

Detectives from Hackney are urging anyone with information about the fire to call the police on 101.

PA