A MAN has died and a police officer is battling for his life after a horrifying fire ripped through a block of apartments in Luton.

The victim, a 50-year-old woman who has yet to be identified, fell 14 stories onto scaffolding being used for repair work.

Officers dressed in white forensic suits carried out the gruesome chore of removing his remains from the scene this morning.

Residents in Green Court, Luton, were forced to evacuate when a fire broke out at 4 a.m. on Thursday, forcing them to flee as police rushed to the scene.

Firefighters and paramedics were dispatched to the Hockwell Ring flat after the fire broke out and the guy collapsed.

Four additional persons, including police officers and members of the public, were transported to the hospital. One police officer is battling for their life in hospital with critical injuries.

Green Court, a 15-story building, was engulfed in flames, and forty firefighters were dispatched to assist.

The fire originated on the 14th story, towards the top of the structure, according to witnesses, but it is unclear how it started.

The remaining 97 flats were evacuated, but the fire was restricted to the victim’s residence, who is said to have lived alone.

At a community centre, they were being fed.

“It appears like the unfortunate gentleman fell to get away from the flames,” one man stated.

“I heard a person set fire to his flat and then leap out,” a lady stated. All of us were evacuated. At half past four a.m., there were ladies dressed in robes and children covered in blankets out on the street.

Police were sent out earlier this week to talk with the guy who died, according to another homeowner.

“A fire broke out at a block of apartments in Green Court at approximately 4 a.m. this morning,” a Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman said (Thurs). A Luton guy in his 50s was tragically declared deceased at the spot.

“Around 100 residents of the damaged tower block have been evacuated and are receiving assistance from various sites in the area. Everyone has been identified.”

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, according to Bedfordshire Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra, who was on the site. He stated that it looked to be a one-time occurrence.

“We despatched 10 fire engines to the scene and deployed 24 breathing apparatus to contain the fire,” Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Area Commander Stuart Auger said.

“Five members of the public who were on the impacted floor were given smoke hoods to help them get out through the smoke.”

Several people, as well as police officers, were brought to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the blaze at the block of apartments is being investigated, with people waiting outside the building to re-enter.

When a fire broke out in a second-story unit in Green Court in 2016, the fire department was sent.

Three people and a kid were in the flat at the time, and they managed to escape out, but they later suffered from smoke inhalation.