Manchester man and woman arrested on suspicion of murder after three children die in fire

Pair being questioned in custody as part of murder investigation

A woman and 3-year-old girl are in serious condition in hospital and three children have died (The Press Association / Peter Byrne)

A 23-year-old man and a 20-year old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder after three children died and two more people were seriously injured in a house fire in Greater Manchester.

A girl, 3, and her mother, 35, are in serious condition in hospital.

The detained man and woman, who have not been named, are being questioned in custody.

The three children who died in the fire in Jackson Street, Worsley, include an 8-year-old boy and two girls aged 7 and 14.

Chief Superintendent Wayne Miller, Territorial Commander for Salford, said: “In what is such a heart-breaking set of circumstances, we have been doing our very best to support the family in every way that we can and carry out our enquiries quickly and sensitively.

“This evening, two people are in custody but we are still appealing for people who witnessed the fire itself or the events leading up to it to get in contact with us and tell us what they know.

“My thanks goes to the members of the public who have supported us with our investigation.”

Before the arrests, Mr Miller said authorities had launched a murder investigation.

Manchester Fire tweeted: “This is a truly tragic incident and all our thoughts go out to the family,” adding that support was also being offered to the crews involved.

Police said there had been “earlier incidents” at the address. A referral to the IPCC has reportedly been made.

Emergency workers were called to the Jackson Street house before 5am on Monday.

Two 16-year-old boys were able to escape the property before they arrived.

Several roads around the area remain closed. Police are expected to be on the scene for several days to help with the investigation.