Nottingham: Murder arrest as children, three and one, die in flat fire

Forensic teams are continuing their investigation into the deaths of the two children

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two children died in a flat fire in Nottingham.

The girls, aged three and one, died in hospital after the blaze in Fairisle Close, Clifton, early on Sunday morning.

A woman has also been left critically injured, Nottinghamshire Police said.

A 31-year-old man from Clifton has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He is also being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder.

A joint fire and police investigation has concluded the fire, which was extinguished at about 04:00 GMT, was started deliberately.

The fire was in a first floor flat of a two-storey residential property.

Neighbouring properties were temporarily evacuated as crews tackled the blaze.

A joint investigation by the police and fire service concluded the fire was started deliberately

At the scene

By Sarah Hawley, BBC East Midlands Today

The scene here is cordoned off with a lone police officer standing guard.

Forensic teams are coming in and out of the property as investigations continue.

I've just spoken to one of the inspectors who says this is a devastating incident both for the emergency services and the local community.

Lots of residents who were evacuated are now back in their homes but the area is very quiet.

I've spoken to several neighbours on this street, some of whom witnessed the fire and rescue attempts.

They're very upset by what they saw. They all say it's incredibly sad.

The injured woman, who is thought to be in her 30s, and the children were initially treated at the scene by paramedics for smoke inhalation and taken to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

A local resident, who asked not to be named, said he saw smoke billowing from the rear windows of the first-floor flat.

He said: "I saw the blue lights and smoke was coming out of the top windows.

"It's sickening. I feel so sorry for the family. How is she going to feel when she finds out she's lost the children?"

Det Ch Insp Greg McGill, who is leading the investigation, said: "This is a deeply tragic incident and we have a large team working tirelessly to understand the full circumstances.

"Whilst we have now made an arrest, the investigation remains at an early stage and we are continuing to appeal to anyone who has even the slightest bit of information, or even CCTV or dash-cam footage, to please come forward."

Insp Ben Lawrence from Nottinghamshire Police said the community would see an increase in officers in the area

Insp Ben Lawrence said the Clifton community would see a "high presence of officers" in the area while inquiries continued.

Chris Clark, from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, added: "Alongside the police we will now investigate the cause of this fire and tragic loss of life.

"We recognise what has happened will be deeply distressing for the local community, and we will be in the area to offer reassurance to residents over the coming days."

Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen said the loss of two young children was "completely heart breaking" and the authority would "do all it can" to support the family and community.