A POWER cut in East Ham is believed to have had tragic consequences after a man died in a fire apparently caused by a candle.

Thirty-year-old Faizul Azeez was found dead in a bedroom by firefighters after a blaze took hold in a terrace home in Tilbury Road at 8pm on Friday.

Four fire engines were called to the scene. The blaze was tackled by more than 20 firefighters.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a candle left burning on the ground floor.

A woman and her two children escaped the flames and were taken to hospital where they were treated for smoke inhalation and later released.

Johanna Parades, 27, of Tilbury Road, said that residents had been using candles in their homes after a power cut that started on Thursday night.

Ms Parades said of Mr Azeez: “We were really shocked to hear that he had died.

“We had seen him in the street smoking about an hour before the fire started. He was a quiet man. He kept himself to himself.”

A spokesman for energy distribution company UK Power Networks confirmed that there had been a power cut in the area during the time of the blaze and that power was restored for most customers by 11pm on Friday.

Police say the fire is not suspicious.

A post-mortem on Monday gave Mr Azeez’s cause of death as inhalation of fumes.