Man bursts into flames and dies on London street – and cops have NO IDEA why

THE SHOCKING death of a pensioner who caught fire while walking the streets of London has baffled police.

By Luke Graham /

John Nolan mystery death Metropolitan Police

MYSTERY: Police cannot explain why John Nolan, 70, caught fire in broad daylight

Specialist fire investigators cannot find a reason why John Nolan, 70, burst into flames.

Horrified passers-by saw Mr Nolan burning near his home in Haringey on September 17.

Members of the public tried to put out the fire and called emergency services to the scene.

Firefighters in Surrey ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/GETTY

Firefighters could not find an obvious reason why the pensioner caught on fire

“We have yet to establish how the fire started”

PC Damien Ait-Amer

Firefighters were able to put out the flames and Mr Nolan, a retired construction worker from Ireland, was rushed to hospital but later died of his burns.

London Fire Brigade was unable to find out the cause of the fire or why it spread across the man’s body.

Police have now taken over the investigation and today called for witnesses to the bizarre incident.

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Lia Pearson was rescued from the burning house Facebook
Lia Pearson was rescued from the burning house, but has now passed away

    PC Damien Ait-Amer said: “We have spoken with a number of witnesses who saw Mr Nolan ablaze, but we have yet to establish how the fire started."

    Police say Mr Nolan was a well-liked member of his community, who was not involved in any disputes.

    "Nor does any account given by witnesses suggest that he had been in contact with another person at the time of the fire," Mr Air-Amer added.

    Orchard Place in Tottenham, North London GOOGLE

    John Nolan was walking along Orchard Place in Tottenham, North London when he caught alight

    Flames engulf ambulance at Glasgow's Stobhill Hospital

     
    An ambulance has been left burnt out after catching fire outside Glasgow's Stobhill Hospital. Onlookers posted pictures to social media of the terrifying incident.
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    Onlookers posted pictures on social media of the terriffying incident SWNS.com
    Onlookers posted pictures on social media of the terriffying incident

      Police have made no arrests and are treating the death as unexplained.

      Anyone who witnessed the incident but has not yet spoken to police is urged to PC Damien Ait-Amer via 101 or tweet @MetCC.

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