Metropolitan Police launch investigation into fatal Dagenham fire

Officers are treating the fire at the property as "suspicious"

Author: Rory GannonPublished 28th Jul 2024

Metropolitan Police officers have launched a police investigation into a fatal house fire in Dagenham.

Police were called to a property at Oval Road North Road in East London at 5:40 on Saturday evening (July 27th).

When responders arrived at the scene, they found a property ablaze, bringing in other emergency services such as the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service.

Firefighters forced their way into the property and found the body of a man in his 70s; the force are now looking to find the man's next of kin to notify them of his death.

The incident took place on Oval Road North in Dagenham on Saturday evening.

Officers are treating the fire as "suspicious", with the Metropolitan Police bringing in homicide detectives working alongside the Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire.

Enquiries into the incident are ongoing, and investigators are looking into the possibility the fire is linked to other instances.

A man has already been arrested in connection with the fire, and has been taken into police custody for questioning where he currently remains.

Anyone who has any information or had witnessed the fire break out is being asked to get in touch as soon as possible.

Those with relevant information, or dashcam or doorbell footage, can speak to the force by calling 101 and quoting incident reference number 5619 from July 27th.

Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.