Neighbours ‘devastated’ after mum and three of her children killed in house fire

A mother and three of her children have died after a house fire in northwest London early this morning.

Two boys, aged four and eight, and a 15-year-old girl died in Tillett Close, Stonebridge, shortly after 1am.

A 43-year-old woman, their mother, also died when the property was engulfed in flames.

Firefighters said the woman and one of the children were rescued from the second floor of the house but were declared dead by air ambulance crews.

The other two children were found inside the property as crews continued to tackle the blaze, LFB said, and were also declared dead at the scene.

Cecilia Marquis, 60, a caterer at Brentford FC said she is ‘stunned by the devastation’.

She said: ‘This will leave a devastating impact.’

Ms Marquis said she went outside to see the blaze and firefighters tackling it in the early hours of the morning.

‘I just feel numb,’ the 60-year-old said. ‘I’m stunned by the devastation.

‘My clothes were smelling of the fire – I had to have a shower when I got I 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.

He said he made the first call to the fire brigade in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Labidi said he knew the woman, and that the four who died in the fire were ‘really good people’.

‘We used to socialise together,’ he said. ‘I can’t even look at the house right now.’

A person who lives next door to the house, who did not wish 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.’

Two other people, a woman in her 70s and another teenage girl and members of the same family, were rushed to hospital.

A 41-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.

Police have cordoned the street off and much of the house has been gutted by the fire.

Superintendent Steve Allen, from the Met’s local policing team in north-west London, said: ‘This is an extremely tragic incident and our thoughts are with everyone involved.

‘Officers arrested a man at the scene and we continue to work alongside investigators from the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire.

‘Emergency services will remain in Tillett Close throughout the day as these inquiries take place.’

Mayor of London Sir 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.’

Dawn Butler, the local Labour MP for Brent East, said in a post on X: ‘Devastated to see the fatal fire at homes in Tillett Close last night.

‘My prayers are with the family and friends affected by this is a very sad tragedy.

‘@LFB_Brent worked hard to get it under control, thank you.’

LFB Assistant Commissioner Keeley Foster said: ‘This is an extremely tragic incident, and the thoughts of everyone across the brigade are with those impacted by this incident.

‘Our specialist fire investigation unit are working closely with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Service to now determine the cause of this fire.

‘We are working closely with our partners to support the community at this very sad time.’

Eight fire engines and around 70 firefighters were sent to the blaze, LFB said, with some crews still at the scene on Saturday morning.

LAS said the air ambulance, incident response officers, an advanced paramedic and hazardous area response team were deployed.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 509/24May or anonymously through Crimestoppers online or by calling 0800 555 111.

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