A man who died from severe burns after being involved in a penthouse apartment fire has been identified.
Mohsen Rasouli, 45, was killed after a fire engulfed his top-floor apartment on Angas Street in Meadowbank, northwest Sydney, about 4pm on Monday.
Mr Rasouli ran from the building which was engulfed in flames and suffered burns to 80 per cent of his body before being rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital where he died.
His friend Saeed Mazaheri said he was standing at his friend's bedside when he breathed his last.
Mohsen Rasouli, 45, was killed on Monday after a fire engulfed his top-floor apartment on Angas Street in Meadowbank, northwest Sydney
“(He was) a truly perfect man, honest and very polite,” Mr Mazaheri said 7News. “He tried to help everyone.”
The fire was the result of an explosion that authorities believe may have started in the kitchen.
Neighbors reportedly smelled natural gas, indicating how the explosion could have been caused.
Terrified bystanders recalled the moment Mr Rasouli, who was an accountant, ran from the building after his apartment went up in flames.
“He managed to reach the foyer… he suffered serious burns,” said witness Andrew Song.
“My wife and I hoped he would survive and we prayed for him.”
Mr Rasouli ran from the building which was engulfed in flames and suffered burns to 80 per cent of his body before being rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital where he died.
Those who knew Mr. Rasouli said he was particular about his apartment and always turned off the switches on the wall.
Mr Mazaheri said his friend always “checked his house and made sure everything was turned off… gas, electricity.”
Fire investigators spent the day in the charred wreckage of the home, trying to figure out what caused the explosion.
A firefighter who was also taken to hospital with chest pain after battling the blaze is now recovering.