Woman arrested for arson and murder after man found dead in London house blaze

Scotland Yard believes the fire was started deliberately

Flames seen in the front window of the Streatham address (Lovena Brown)

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a man was found inside a house fire in south London.

Flames was seen by neighbours ripping through the ground floor of the property in Streatham as firefighters burst in to tackle the blaze at 7pm on Sunday.

They found the body of a 49-year-old man dead in the multi-occupancy home in Glenister Park Road.

Scotland Yard believes the fire was started deliberately and is being treated as suspicious.

On Monday, 26 February, a 34-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder and arson with intent to endanger life. She remains in custody at a south London police station.

A post-mortem examination will take place in the coming days to establish the victim’s cause of death.

DCI Kate Blackburn, who is leading the investigation, said: “We are in the early stages of our investigation, and we are working quickly to piece together the events last night in Glenister Park Road that sadly resulted in a man losing his life.

“Detectives have spent the day gathering footage from nearby doorbell cameras and other CCTV. The scene of the fire has undergone extensive forensic examination to help us understand how the fire started.

“I would ask anyone in the area who saw any activity on Sunday evening around 6.45pm in Glenister Park Road, between Drakewood Road and Streatham Vale, or has information about the incident, to come forward immediately.

“We understand that such a tragic incident will cause concern among the wider community, however we believe that this is an isolated incident and we have arranged for additional patrols in the area over the coming days to help provide reassurance.”

Anyone who can help the investigation is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 5631/25Feb.

Information can also be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.