A WOMAN who died in a blaze at a flat at Canterbury has not yet been formally identified but has been named by neighbours as Paula Puri who had worked for several years as a cleaner at Kent College in the city.

The school has confirmed that a member of their staff had died. The victim is believed to have been in her 50s.

The blaze started at about 9.45am on Tuesday in the kitchen of Flat 12 Malta House, on the Brymore Estate.

Neighbour Rocky Stone, 71, said the tenant was “a quiet woman who never had many visitors but she always had a smile on her face”.

He added: “She was my friend and an ideal neighbour. I didn’t see her very often but we used to exchange hellos once a week on the landing. She told me she was close to retirement from her cleaning job. This is very sad.”

Mr Stone and the occupants of two adjacent flats had to spend Tuesday night elsewhere.

They returned on Wednesday after the flats had been declared fit by council officials. No damage was done to other flats.

Another neighbour, Nancy Dawkins, said: “She was a lovely person but very private. Her son visited occasionally from London and she had two sisters, Lilian and Monica.”

Police have confirmed that they are not seeking anyone in connection with the fire.

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