Man held after mother and three children die in blaze

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a mother and three of her children aged 15, eight and four were killed in a house fire in north London yesterday Flames gutted two houses in Stonebridge, Brent, after the fire broke out shortly after 1am, with 70 firefighters and eight fire

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a mother and three of her children aged 15, eight and four were killed in a house fire in north London yesterday Flames gutted two houses in Stonebridge, Brent, after the fire broke out shortly after 1am, with 70 firefighters and eight fire engines called to the scene to tackle the blaze. Police confirmed yesterday afternoon that the four people killed were a mother, 43, her daughter, 15, and two sons aged eight and four.

Four others managed to escape the inferno, but two further members of the same family - a woman in her 70s and a teenage girl were taken to hospital for treatment. A man was arrested outside the house in Tillett Close on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.

Horrified neighbour Cecilia Marquis, 60, said she was "stunned by the devastation" of the blaze. Ms Marquis, who is a caterer at Brentford FC and witnessed the fire in her street, said: "This will leave a devastating impact." Brent Council has set up a rest centre nearby and has a dedicated team looking after families who needed to be evacuated.