Man is arrested for ‘house fire murder’ on train to France after woman died and eight others were hurt in London inferno
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 48-year-old woman died following a house fire at a property in Hounslow, west London. The 34-year-old suspect was detained by Kent Police on Sunday while travelling to France by train, and he remains in custody as the Metropolitan Police continue their investigation. The case has drawn attention both for the severity of the incident, which left nine people needing hospital treatment, and for the dramatic circumstances of the arrest as the suspect attempted to leave the country.
Emergency services were called to Berkeley Avenue at around 1.14am on Wednesday, with London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service attending alongside police. The 48-year-old victim died in hospital despite medical staff's efforts, while a 40-year-old woman remains in a life-threatening condition; the remaining seven people, six men and one woman, were treated for minor injuries and discharged. Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said enquiries are continuing "at pace", and the Met has appealed for witnesses or information via 101 or Crimestoppers.
- Man, 34, arrested for murder after fatal Hounslow house fire
- Arrested by Kent Police on a train to France
- One woman, 48, died; another, 40, critically injured
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A house fire at a property in Hounslow, west London, in the early hours of Wednesday morning left one woman dead and eight other people injured, some seriously. Emergency services, including the fire brigade and ambulance service, attended alongside police, and several of those hurt needed hospital treatment. The Metropolitan Police is treating the death as murder and is leading the investigation into what happened.
A 34-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fire. He was stopped by Kent Police while travelling to France by train, and he remains in custody while officers continue their enquiries.
The case matters both because of the scale of harm caused, with nine people needing medical attention and one woman still critically ill, and because it is being investigated as a suspected act of violence rather than an accidental blaze. Police have asked anyone with information to come forward as the inquiry continues.