Vigil for 'four beautiful souls' killed in fire

Greg McKenzie
BBC London
Reporting fromBrent
BBC A middle aged man with grey hair and beard speaks to a reporter. It is night time and there are people in the background. BBC
Councillor Muhammed Butt said the community was devastated by the deaths

About 150 residents gathered for a prayer service in Brent, north London on Tuesday evening to remember a mother and three of her children who died in a house fire.

Nusrat Usman, 43, her daughter Maryam Mikaiel, 15 and sons Musa Usman, eight, and Raees Usman, four, died when their home in Stonebridge went up in flames on Saturday morning.

A 13-year-old girl, who has not been named, remains in hospital, while a woman in her 70s has been discharged.

Local councillor Muhammed Butt told BBC London the tragedy had united the community.

A group of people gather in front of low rise housing at a vigil, in front of a piece of grass. Many have their hands clasped together.
People gathered on the housing estate where the fire happened to pay tribute

The vigil was held in the middle of the housing estate where the four lost their lives.

Mr Butt, who is leader of Brent Council, told BBC London: "We are mourning the loss of four beautiful souls.

"I live just around the corner, just across the road, and the community is so united.

"Everyone knows one another so to have this tragedy you can see, you can feel the loss that people are feeling.

"They care about one another, they look after one another and they care about everyone."

Members of the community spoke about the loss of the family and how the children's father was still coming to terms with the tragedy.

A police officer stands in front of a fence, that has been erecting a the front of a terraced property gutted by fire.
Two terraced three-storey homes were gutted in the fire

Eight fire engines and about 70 firefighters from stations across Wembley, Park Royal and Willesden were sent to tackle the blaze.

A teddy bear and flowers were seen laid near the properties over the weekend.

The London Fire Brigade said a woman and child were initially rescued from the second floor of one of the affected properties and received emergency care but were declared dead at the scene.

Two more children were found inside the property and also declared dead, it added.

One neighbour, who said the family had moved to the UK from Pakistan more than 20 years ago, told the BBC that after hearing smashing and screaming, she had gone out to find the building on fire.

The Metropolitan Police said a man, 41, had been arrested on suspicion of murder outside the property.

He has since been bailed and detained under the Mental Health Act.

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