Pensioner spontaneously bursts into flames and dies walking down London street

Police have launched an investigation after a 70-year-old man mysteriously caught fire and died while walking down a North London street.

Emergency services were called to a man who was ablaze in Orchard Place near to Williams House in Haringey just after 1pm on 17 September.

Members of the public helped to try put the blaze out before the London Fire Brigade managed to extinguish the flames.

The man, later identified as John Nolan, was taken to a specialist hospital by London's Air Ambulance but later died of his injuries. A post-mortem examination on 27 September gave the cause of death as severe burns.

An investigation into the fire found no accelerant at the scene and police are still unable to give a reason as to how the 70-year-old caught on fire.

No arrests have been made and the death is being treated as unexplained at this time.

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

"Mr Nolan was a well-liked member of the community and none of our enquiries so far have indicated that he had been involved in a dispute of any sort. Nor does any account given by witnesses suggest that he had been in contact with another person at the time of the fire."

Nolan was originally from County Mayo in Ireland, but was living in Tenterden Road. He was a retired construction worker who was unmarried.

Anyone who witnessed the incident but has yet to speak with police is urged to call PC Damien Ait-Amer via 101. You can also tweet information to police via @MetCC.