Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman dies in fire in Beckton, east London

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman died in a fire at a block of flats in east London on Thursday evening.

Police, the fire brigade and ambulances were called to Tollgate Road in Beckton, Newham, at 5.28pm.

Five people were also treated at the scene and taken to hospital.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed the fatality and said the air ambulance, five ambulance crews and other staff were part of the response.

Local media reported the fire broke out in a block of flats opposite a Lidl supermarket.

The manager of the store, Raza Nowsin, told MyLondon that people were jumping out of the windows to escape.

“People were running around everywhere. They had a mattress there and they were trying to jump on it but some people didn’t get to the mattress,” they said.

Another witness told the site: “I witnessed a person jumping out of the second floor window as [they were] trapped, a sight I never thought I would see.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said one male had been arrested on suspicion of murder and enquiries were ongoing.

The mayor of Newham tweeted that she was “deeply saddened”.

“Deepest thanks to @LFBNewham firefighters, @MPSNewham and @Ldn_Ambulance for their emergency response efforts,” said Rokhsana Fiaz.

“@NewhamLondon officers are working closely with them to support affected residents.

“Tollgate Road E6 cordoned off in response to today’s serious incident.”