Third murder arrest over house fire deaths

Scene of the house fire
Image caption,

The fire broke out before 02:00 BST on Saturday

  • Published

A third man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two women in their early 20s died in a house fire in Wolverhampton.

Four other people were taken to hospital after the fire in Dunstall Hill shortly before 02:00 BST on Saturday.

Three were not seriously injured, but one woman remains in a serious condition in hospital, said West Midlands Police.

A man, 46, has now been arrested, and officers have been given extra time to question two men, aged 19 and 22, also on suspicion of murder.

Image caption,

A joint police and fire investigation is continuing

"Two women have tragically lost their lives and our thoughts are with their loved ones at this deeply distressing time," said Ch Supt Richard Fisher, on Saturday.

"We know how upsetting this is for everyone within the community, and we're working as sensitively as we can to find out the cause of this terrible fire."

He described the investigation as "very active," adding "it's important we do everything we can to get answers to what happened."

All three men arrested in connection with the investigation are thought to be known to the women.

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