A 13-year-old girl remains in critical condition in hospital while a 71-year-old woman has been discharged following a deadly house fire in northwest London.
Warning: This article contains pictures of a fire in which people died
A 43-year-old mother and three of her children – a 15-year-old girl, and two boys aged eight and four – died at the scene of the fire, which gutted two homes in Stonebridge, near Wembley, in the early hours of Saturday.
A 41-year-old man was arrested at the scene and remains in custody.
Neighbours said the family are of Pakistani origin and had lived in the area for a long time.
Brent councillor Tariq Dar MBE named Usman Ghani, known as Ozzy, as the man who lost his wife and three children in the tragic fire and asked the community to keep the family in their “heartfelt duas (prayers) during this incredibly difficult time”.
He wrote on Facebook: “It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of the wife and three beloved children – a daughter and two young sons – of brother Usman Ghani in a tragic house fire in Wembley.”
Flowers and a blue teddy bear have been left near the scene, where crews wearing helmets and respiratory equipment were seen building scaffolding against the burnt-out buildings.
Neighbour Cecilia Marquis, 60, said she was “stunned by the devastation”.
“This will leave a devastating impact,” Ms Marquis, who witnessed the fire, said.
Witness Mohamed Labidi, 38, said he “can’t even look at the house right now”.
“We used to socialise together.
“They’re very good people, no problems on their side at all. It’s really shocking. It’s a really strong community here, we look after each other.”
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s horrible, we saw people running outside.
“It’s hard to process. I only just moved in, so it’s hard to think about it.”
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Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters responded to the blaze, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
Two terrace houses, each with three floors, were severely damaged in the fire, which was under control by around 3.25am, the fire service added.
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Superintendent Steve Allen, from the Met’s local policing team in northwest London, said: “My thoughts and the thoughts of all the emergency services are with the four people who died in the fire, as well as the two people who were taking to hospital.
“Detectives from the Metropolitan Police are leading the investigation, and we are working closely with the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire.”
He added: “We remain in the early stages of our investigation, however, one man was arrested outside the house. He remains in custody and is being questioned by officers.”
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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a post on X: “This is devastating news and my thoughts are with the family, friends and wider community of the four people who sadly have lost their lives.
“I remain in close contact with the London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police as they work to establish the cause of the fire and offer support to all those impacted.”
