Tragic EastEnders fire d.e.a.t.h ‘foreshadowed’ in chilling scene ahead of deadly inferno

There was another fire on EastEnders on Thursday night, leaving more than one life on the line.

But ahead of another huge explosion set to rock the Square in a matter of weeks, could it all have been a major 40th anniversary death foreshadowing? After all, the soap has had a number of fires recently, one at the café a while back, and then one at the call centre just months ago.

Now Lauren Branning’s flat has gone up in flames, just weeks before the deadly inferno at The Vic which has just been filmed. The pregnant character, who has become addicted to painkillers, continued to take pills this week despite fearing for her unborn baby’s health.

Things took a turn in the episode that dropped on iPlayer on Wednesday morning before it aired on Thursday evening on BBC One. In the episode Lauren fell asleep after taking more medication, and soon a lit candle sparked a blaze.

Of course those tuning into Thursday’s iPlayer episode will know Lauren’s fate, while those sticking to TV will have to wait until Friday. But amid drama for the Beales and with Lauren and Cindy blackmailing each other at this point, ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ Lᴀᴜʀᴇɴ’s ᴛʀᴀɢɪᴄ ᴅᴇᴍɪsᴇ ʙᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴅs?

Could the fire at the flat be a hint that one of the residents caught up in it will perish for the 40th? After all, for there to be another fire so close to the big inferno coming up, would there really be that many fires in one location in such a short period of time?

Perhaps the latest blaze was a glimpse at the devastation ahead, and a tease that one character won’t live past the big 40th episodes. Of course there is nothing to suggest this at all, but this is soap land – and stranger things have happened.

EastEnders loves a foreshadow and a time jump, and often there are nods to the past and hints to the future in episodes. Perhaps it’s a sign Lauren could lose her life in upcoming episodes as many have predicted.

Or maybe it’s a hint that she will lose her battle against Cindy, as Cindy desperately battles to keep her affair with Junior Knight a secret. Of course the truth does all come out this Christmas or at least in part, so perhaps this will be the moment Lauren will share the truth about everything, and Cindy will face her downfall.