Spondon fire: Community in 'shock' after man in his 30s dies in flat fire in Derby suburb

A man has died after a devastating fire broke out in a quiet Derby cul-de-sac, prompting a heavy emergency response and leaving neighbours "shocked". Fire crews and police officers were called to Rovings Drive, in Spondon, near Nottingham Road, after reports of a fire in a ground-floor flat.

Upon arrival at around 7.35am, the fire service deployed crews wearing breathing apparatus to rescue the man, but he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. A joint fire and police investigation is now under way and there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.

One local resident, Callum Caves, of Rovings Drive, described waking up at around 8am to see blue flashing lights. His bathroom window overlooks a courtyard at the end of Rovings Drive which was cordoned off by police shortly after the incident, with forensic teams seen entering a property within the far corner of the yard.

The 23-year-old said: "This morning I got up at 8am, I looked outside my window onto the courtyard and saw blue flashing lights everywhere. I came out of the house and saw a family outside their home, they didn’t have shoes on or proper clothes.

“I pulled them straight in and gave them a hot drink. They were shocked, but they were okay. There was smoke coming out of the house, it was really shocking to be honest. I've never seen anything like it before in this area, I just hope everyone is okay.”

Rovings Drive is a quiet side street off Nottingham Road, between Spondon and Borrowash. At 10am, more than two hours after fire crews attended the scene, an ambulance was spotted leaving Rovings Drive.

At 12pm, an ambulance, three police cars, a small Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) vehicle and what seemed to be a forensics van remained at the scene. Susan Bradwell, of Falconside Drive, was walking her dog when she noticed a heavy prescence in the street on Thursday morning.

The 62-year-old said: “I walk my dog along the footpath every morning. When I left there was nothing there - or at least not that I noticed - and that was maybe around 6.30am. Forty-five minutes later, I came back, and there were police, ambulance, fire - you name it, the end of the road was swarming with emergency services.

“I’ve seen a few cars leaving since then but things seem to have calmed down a bit. It’s never nice seeing things like this, especially when it’s so close to home.”

A lone police officer could be seen patrolling a patch of grass to the south of the house, backing onto the footpath that runs parallel to the railway line. Black and yellow tape was in use, as opposed to the blue and white tape that was being used in the cordon at the courtyard.

At 11.40am, the fire service issued a statement, confirming that a man had died following the fire. A spokesperson for the fire service said: "Tragically, a man in his 30’s has died following a flat fire on Rovings Drive, Spondon.

"Firefighters were called to attend the ground floor flat at 7.35am this morning. Crews wearing breathing apparatus entered the flat and rescued the man, handing him into the care of paramedics. Sadly, the man died on the scene.

"Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service would like to extend the thoughts and sympathy of everyone in the Service to the family and friends of the deceased at this distressing time. A joint police and fire investigation is currently underway. There are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances."

It added that firefighters and community safety officers will be in the Rovings Drive area throughout Thursday afternoon, offering fire safety advice and reassurance to residents following the shocking incident.