Faulty freezer could be cause of London house fire deaths

A house fire that killed a mother and her five children is believed to have been caused by a freezer.

Muna Elmufatish, 41, daughters Hanin Kua, 14, Basma, 13, and nine year old Amal, and brothers Mustafa, five, and Yehya, two, died in the blaze at their home in north-west London on Saturday. The children’s father, Bassam Kua, 51, and 16-year-old sister, Nur, escaped the flames but remain in hospital in a serious condition.

London Fire Brigade report that the chest freezer stored in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, was most likely to have started the blaze. The fire is London’s worst house fire in more than a decade.

London Fire Brigade said: “Six people died and two people were seriously injured in a blaze that started in the early hours of Saturday morning in a two-storey semi-detached house in Neasden. Fire investigators believe that a chest freezer, which was in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, may have caused the fire. The make of the chest freezer is not known at this stage.”

Investigations continue to determine the exact cause of the fire which police do not believe was suspicious.