Man killed in Meadowbank, Sydney apartment fire identified
A man who died after suffering severe burns in an apartment fire in Sydney’s northwest was “perfect”, according to a friend.
It comes as a potential cause of the fire has been revealed.
Mohsen Rasouli, 45, was found with burns to 80 per cent of his body after fleeing the flames in his Meadowbank apartment on Monday.
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WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Man killed in Meadowbank apartment explosion identified.
The blaze engulfed the top-floor apartment of the five-storey building on Angas St about 4pm, while Rasouli was inside.
“He made it out into the foyer … he was severely burned,” witness Andrew Song told 7NEWS.
Rasouli was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition and later died from his injuries.
Fire and Rescue NSW crews managed to quickly control the blaze, and it was extinguished a short time later.
Residents of the apartment building were evacuated as parts of the top-floor apartment collapsed.
One person suffered a heart attack during the evacuation and was taken to Concord Hospital.
Rasouli’s friend Saeed Mazaheri said he saw the fire on 7NEWS and rushed to the scene.
He was by Rasouli’s side when he died, surrounded by his family, in hospital.
“(He was a) really perfect man, honest, very polite,” Mazaheri told 7NEWS.
“He tried to help everyone.”
Investigators believe the explosion may have originated in the kitchen, with neighbours saying they could smell natural gas just before the blast.
People close to Rasouli say he was fastidious about how he kept his apartment, always making sure to turn off switches on the wall and his kitchen stove.
Fire investigators, detectives and forensic police spent Tuesday inside the charred building as investigations continue into how and why the blaze ignited.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
– With Tom Sacre
