Man held on suspicion of murder after two children die in Nottingham flat fire

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

The 31-year-old from the Clifton area of the city is being held after the blaze in a first-floor flat in Clifton, at about 3am on Sunday. He remains in police custody for questioning.

The two girls, aged one and three, were taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre hospital along with a woman in her 30s.

However, the children were pronounced dead at the hospital. The woman remains in a critical condition.

Fire crews tackled the blaze, and it was extinguished by about 4am. Neighbouring buildings were temporarily evacuated.

A local resident, who asked not to be named, was alerted by a fire engine’s lights while watching a film, and then saw smoke billowing from the rear windows of the first-floor flat.

He told PA Media: “I saw the blue lights and smoke was coming out of the top windows.” He said the older child was brought out of the property first before a firefighter carried out the one-year-old shortly afterwards.

He estimated that CPR was then carried out at the scene for about 20 minutes. “It’s sickening. I feel so sorry for the family.”

DCI Greg McGill said a joint investigation by police and the fire service had concluded that the fire was started deliberately.

“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 dashcam footage, to please come forward.”

Insp Ben Lawrence, who has led patrols in the community since the fire, said: “This has also been an extremely traumatic event for the local community, especially for neighbours who have been left shocked and deeply saddened by the deaths of two very young children.”

Anyone with any information has been asked to contact Nottinghamshire police online, or by calling 101 and quoting incident 0110-20112022. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.