Father Darren Sykes 'killed by fire' in Penistone house blaze

Darren Sykes was pronounced dead in hospital

A father who was killed in a suspicious house fire along with his nine-year-old son died as a result of the blaze, police have confirmed.

Darren Sykes, 44, and his son Paul, nine, died following the fire at a house on Tennyson Close in Penistone, in Barnsley on Wednesday evening.

His older son Jack, 12, remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Police said a post-mortem revealed the cause of Mr Sykes' death was "compatible with the effects of fire".

Further tests are to be carried out to establish the cause of his son's death, South Yorkshire Police said.

Emergency services were called to the house at about 18:30 BST on Thursday.

Investigators said the fire had been started deliberately and that an accelerant was used to start several seats of fire inside the property.

Police have said they are not looking for anyone else over the incident.

Emergency services were called to Tennyson Close in Penistone at around 18:30 BST on Wednesday

Floral tributes were placed on the railings at Paul Sykes' school