A 14-year-old girl has died in a fire in Beckton, east London, which police are treating as arson. A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the blaze, which broke out at a block of flats on Tollgate Road shortly before 5.30pm on Thursday.
Emergency services found the girl in a second-floor flat, where she was pronounced dead at the scene. Five other people were injured and taken to hospital, but have since been discharged with non-life-threatening injuries. The London Fire Brigade reported that the stairwell from the ground floor to the second floor was destroyed, and half of the second floor was damaged.
Witnesses described the rapid spread of the fire. Rahina Begum, who lives opposite, said: 'The fire went up very quickly, within a few seconds. In 10 to 15 seconds the whole building was on fire, from the bottom to the top.' Another neighbour reported seeing people jumping from windows to escape.
Floral tributes were left outside the block on Friday, with a steady stream of teenagers paying their respects. One 14-year-old girl, who arrived with her mother, said she was in the same year 9 class as the victim. Six fire engines and about 40 firefighters attended the scene, and the Metropolitan Police have sealed off part of Tollgate Road.
Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke of the Met's specialist crime command said: 'We are at the very early stages of our investigation and are still keen to hear from anyone who has information.' She added that local officers would be patrolling the area over the Easter weekend. The investigation continues.
