Fatal North Finchley house fire blaze: police suspect arson

A fire at a house where two people were found dead may have been started deliberately, Scotland Yard said.

Detectives are not looking for anyone else in connection with the blaze which tore through a semi-detached house in Fallow Court Avenue, North Finchley, north London, yesterday.

A man in his late 60s and a woman in her early 80s were found dead in the property after emergency crews were called at around 6am.

They found the woman's body in the kitchen and the man in a first-floor bedroom.

London Fire Brigade said the blaze destroyed large parts of the house, affecting around three-quarters of the ground floor, half of the first floor, the staircase and roof.

It took firefighters around two hours to extinguish the flames.

Post-mortem examinations are now being arranged, and next of kin have been told but formal identification has yet to take place, Scotland Yard said.

Detectives from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command are investigating.

PA