A man lost his entire possessions, including his passport, in a fire that claimed his life in the early hours of morning has had assistance from an embassy.
Adrian Mazurkiwicz lost his home in Monday’s blast at Redwood Grove flats, Bedford.
In August, Mazurkiwicz was scheduled to fly to Poland to visit his first nephew. However, he said that his trip was now in doubt because he didn’t have the necessary documents.
Now, the Polish Embassy has stated that a replacement passport will be issued for free.
The three-storey block contained 20 flats. A large portion of the roof collapsed following the explosion and fire that occurred at 09:30 BST.
Although the death had not been officially identified, a post-mortem examination was scheduled for Friday.
Mazurkiwicz stated that he was “living every day” in a hotel, and was dependent on donations for which he was grateful.
He has received items such as toiletries, clothing and food donated by Scott Hall Community Centre.
The Polish national stated that “it’s still quite stressful, still very difficult, it’s just hotel room, we don’t have anything that’s ours yet.”
“We are going to see our nephew, which is an incredible event. At a time like this, we’re struggling for any hope.
“It would be incredible to see a newborn baby, my first nephew. I’m just smiling thinking about it.”
After trying to contact the Polish Embassy for a replacement passport for several days, Mr Mazurkiwicz claimed that he was unsuccessful.
After speaking with BBC Three Counties Radio who then spoke on his behalf to the embassy, he was informed that a replacement would be made as soon as possible, and at no cost to himself.
He said, “You don’t know what it means to me. Thank you so much.”
Bedfordshire Police stated that around 78 people were evacuated from nearby blocks of flats and have since been allowed to return to their homes.
The large part of the burned building remains unsafe, and it will take some time before an investigation and full examination can be done,” a police spokesperson said.
Investigators stated that they didn’t believe anyone was missing.
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