Two dead after 'suspicious' flat fire in west London

Two others are being treated for multiple injuries as 58 firefighters battle the blaze in Hounslow

A fire that killed two people at a flat is being treated as suspicious, police said.

Two people died and two are being treated in hospital for multiple injuries after police officers discovered the fire at a second floor flat in Church Road, Heston, west London, in the early hours of this morning.

An injured woman, believed to be 30, was found in the street close to the burning flat and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 2.30am.

A second person, believed to be a man, was found dead inside the flat during a search by firefighters.

Fire crews were called to attend the blaze in Hounslow, west London shortly after 1.30am on Wednesday morning after patrolling police officers spotted the incident.

Eight fire engines and around 58 firefighters battled to bring the blaze under control, which has now been extinguished, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

An18-year-old man and a 37-year-old man were taken to St Mary's Hospital as a priority where they are being treated for multiple injuries, the London Ambulance Service said.

Three people are understood to have jumped from the burning building before firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze, a spokesman for the LFB said.

Around 50 people who were evacuated from the flats and nearby properties are being moved to emergency accommodation by the local authority.

The fire is believed to have started in a flat above a shop before spreading to the roof and neighbouring flats.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police Service said: "The fire is being treated as suspicious.

"An injured person was found in the street close to the building and subsequently pronounced dead.

"LFB brought the fire under control and are now conducting a search of the building.

"One further body has been found inside."

A spokeswoman for the London Ambulance Service said a 30-year-old woman is believed to be one of the two people found dead.

She added that four ambulance crews, three duty officers, a hazardous area response team and the medical team from the local air ambulance in a car all attended the scene.

Local road closures are in place while firefighters investigate the blaze.