A doctor who died after fire ripped through her Canonbury flat was part of the Royal London Hospital team which treated victims of the 2005 London bombings, it emerged today.

Islington Gazette: Six fire crews were called to the blaze in Crowland Terrace, Canonbury, in the early hours of this morning. Picture: submittedSix fire crews were called to the blaze in Crowland Terrace, Canonbury, in the early hours of this morning. Picture: submitted (Image: Archant)

Dr Claire Sheppey, 47, died in the early hours of yesterday morning after she was unable to escape the huge blaze in her second floor flat in Crowland Terrace.

Her last job was on Monday, when she tended to “extremely unwell” children, a “devastated” colleague said.

Dr Jane M McNeill, clinical director for perioperative medicine and consultant anaesthetis at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “Dr Claire Sheppey was a very valued colleague and important part of our department with a joie de vive that will be so missed.

“She loved her job as a consultant paediatric anaesthetist and was dedicated to providing the best anaesthetic service she could for the children of east London and beyond.

Islington Gazette: The second floor flat in Crowland Terrace, Canonbury, was gutted by the blaze on Tuesday morning. Picture: James MorrisThe second floor flat in Crowland Terrace, Canonbury, was gutted by the blaze on Tuesday morning. Picture: James Morris (Image: Archant)

“On her last on call on Monday she dealt with some extremely unwell children calmly and expertly, her passion for her job not diminished since she was appointed.”

Dr Sheppey joined Royal London Hospital, in Whitechapel, in 2004, and Dr McNeill added: “She played a crucial part in the Royal London Hospital’s response to the 2005 July bombings in London and has been integral to our department ever since.

“As a department we are completely devastated by Claire’s death, but influence and respect for her goes so much further, we have received a multitude of messages of condolence from anaesthetists, surgeons and theatre staff locally to as far away as New Zealand.

“Personally I will miss a great colleague but also a dear friend who enriched the lives of so many around her, with her tales of her travels across the world and a passion for life in general. She was an amazing woman and doctor.”

Fire crews had been called at around 1.30am yesterday. It took 35 firefighters three hours to bring the blaze under control. The cause of the fire is under investigation.