25 May 2025 , 17:59
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A lady and three of her children perished in a house fire in Brent, northwest London. A neighbour said the woman was expecting another baby. The mother, 43, passed away when a property went up in flames early on Saturday.
A 15-year-old girl and two boys aged eight and four were also found to have passed away. Firefighters said the mother and one of her children were rescued from the second floor but declared dead by air ambulance crews. A woman in her 70s and a teenage girl who were both members of the family were taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service (LAS).
Speaking to the MailOnline, a neighbour said the family is “nice” and that the mother was pregnant. Neighbours said the family is of Pakistani origin and had lived on Tillett Close, in the Brent area, for a long time.
Floral tributes were left at the scene, with neighbours expressing their sadness and concern. Bunches of flowers and a blue teddy bear were left near the homes and 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” 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.”
“I just feel numb,” she said. "My clothes were smelling of the fire – I had to have a shower when I got in.”
Mohamed Labidi, a 38-year-old teacher who lives on Tillett Close, said he ’can’t even look at the house’ which was gutted in a fire. “We used to socialise together,” he said of the family in the house. “I can’t even look at the house right now.”
Police confirmed a 41-year-old man was arrested in the early hours outside the houses and he was in custody on Sunday afternoon. On Sunday morning, the road outside the terraced houses remained cordoned off, with two fire engines still at the scene.
In a statement on Saturday, Superintendent Steve Allen, from the Metropolitan Police’s local policing team in north-west London, said detectives are leading the ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire.
“Despite the efforts of the emergency services, I can confirm a woman and three of her children died at the scene,” he said.
“A further two members of the same family were taken to hospital and continue to receive treatment. The wider family have been informed, and officers will continue to support them at this incredibly difficult time.
He added: “I recognise the significant impact this incident has had on the community.”
Deputy Editor