South African named as man who died in blaze at road protest camp

AN ENVIRONMENTAL activist who died after a fire at a forest protest camp has been named as Andrew Millhouse.

Mr Millhouse, 24, originally from South Africa, was found dead following the fire in the early hours of Monday morning at the site at Bilston Glen, south of Edinburgh.

Firefighters who were called to the blaze at around 3:30am had to abandon their vehicles and make their way on foot to the treehouse and shack village where they found Mr Millhouse's body.

The victim's friend Leonna O'Neill, believed to be a University of Edinburgh philosophy graduate, originally from Belfast, remained in St John's hospital in Livingston yesterday, where she is in a specialist unit receiving treatment for burns to her arms.

Mr Millhouse was named locally. A spokeswoman from Lothian and Borders police said yesterday that a police liaison officer was attempting to contact Mr Millhouse's family.

Yesterday a spokesman for the protest camp said: "We have been sitting talking today but do not want to say anything about Andrew just yet as we want to talk to his family first."

It is believed activists held a party on Sunday night following an open day at the site.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is being carried out by police and the fire service.

A spokeswoman for the fire service said one line of enquiry was the possibility a naked flame could have been the cause of an accidental fire.

Police said there was nothing at this stage to indicate the death was suspicious.

The Bilston Glen protest camp was set up by environmentalists in 2002 to campaign against the building of a bypass road which would take the A701 through woods next to the village.