Inquest to probe Neasden house fire deaths

An inquest will be held today into a house fire that claimed the lives of five children and their mother.

Muna Elmufatish, 41, daughters Hanin Kua, 14, Basma, 13, Amal, nine, and sons Mustafa, five, and Yehya, two, died after their London home was engulfed in flames in September last year.

London Fire Brigade said the family's chest freezer, which was stored in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, was most likely to have started the early morning blaze, which became the capital's worst house fire in more than a decade.

Post-mortem examinations found that the six victims died from inhalation of fumes when the blaze raged through their semi-detached home.

The children's father, Bassam Kua, 51, and their 16-year-old sister, Nur, escaped the blaze at the property in Sonia Gardens, Neasden, but were treated in hospital.

London Fire Brigade announced it was to launch a fire safety blitz across the capital in the wake of the deaths, supported by a Facebook campaign.

The campaign was set to begin with a pilot programme in secondary schools in Brent, the borough where the fire happened.

The inquest will be held in Barnet at 9.30am at North London Coroner's Court.

PA