Homeless man dies and second fighting for life after camp ‘set on fire by arsonists’

Two arrested on suspicion of murder after rough sleeper suffers nearly 100% burns in ‘horrific’ blaze

The victims had been living in a makeshift campsite in east London (Metropolitan Police)

A homeless man has died and another is fighting for life in hospital after an arsonist allegedly set fire to the makeshift campsite where they were sleeping.

Scotland Yard launched a murder investigation after the pair, both aged in their 40s, suffered devastating burns in the blaze on wasteland in Ilford, east London.

A man has been charged with murder, attempted murder and arson, and a second has been arrested on suspicion of the same offences.

The victims, believed to be Romanian, had been living under a tarpaulin on a temporary camp that police believe was also home to a small number of other rough sleepers.

Emergency services were called to reports of a fire on the land, near the southbound carriage of the North Circular Road, at 11.45pm on Tuesday.

Fire crews found one of the victims, who had sustained almost 100 per cent burns, near to the camp.

Paramedics took him to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel but he died within hours of arrival. A post-mortem examination will take place on Saturday.

The second injured man managed to stagger to the roadside, and was taken by London Ambulance Service to the specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex. He remained in an induced coma in a critical condition on Friday afternoon.

Detectives have not yet been able to identify either man, but believe they may have worked as casual labourers in Ilford, Redbridge, or Barking and Dagenham.

Police have also yet to establish the cause of the “horrific” fire, but it is thought to have been started deliberately.

London Fire Brigade, which sent 25 firefighters to tackle the blaze, said “a large area of wasteland” was damaged and the tent where the men had been sleeping was “completely destroyed”.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Considine, who is leading the police investigation, said: “We really need to hear from anyone who knows or think they may know either or both of these men to help us with our investigation. I am particularly appealing to the east European community to come forward, as we think both men may be of Romanian origin.

“We believe that the deceased man may have been called Majea or Manea, but we do not know if this is a first name, surname or even a correct name, while the second man in hospital in Essex might be called Pedro, or Petra, but again we can’t be sure this is right.

“If you know anything at all, however insignificant you think it might be, we really need to hear from you as it might be the piece of information that we need to piece together the bits of information we currently have in order to create a fuller picture of what happened.”

He added: “We also want to hear from anyone who knows anything at all about how this fire was caused. We know that after it started, two men came out onto the A406 in an attempt to seek assistance from passing drivers.

“Did you see these two men on the verge when you were driving past, or do you have relevant dashcam footage? If so, please contact us – this was a horrific incident which has caused one man to lose his life, and may claim the life of another.”

A 51-year-old man has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and arson with intent to endanger life. A 37-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the same offences and remained in custody at an east London police station on Friday.