A mother has died two days after a flat fire in Nottingham which also killed her two young children.
Fatoumatta Hydara, 28, had been on life support after the fire in Fairisle Close, Clifton, in the early hours of Sunday.
Her daughters Naeemah Drammeh, aged one, and Fatimah Drammeh, aged three, were also killed in the blaze.
Nottinghamshire Police said it is now treating the case as a triple homicide. The force said detectives have been given another 36 hours to question a 31-year-old man on suspicion of killing the young family.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Sinski said: “We are dealing with one of the most horrendous crimes - the death of two young children and their mother.
“This is a deeply upsetting tragedy and I can only imagine the family’s pain. They include the woman’s husband and the father of the two children, who was not in the UK at the time of the fire.
“Both he and other members of the family are being supported by specially-trained officers at this incredibly difficult time and we ask for the media to give them privacy while they deal with this incredible loss.”
He added: “This has been an extremely traumatic event for them, and I’d like to reassure them we’re doing everything we possibly can to bring them the justice they deserve.”
Before news of Ms Hydara’s death broke, her husband Aboubacarr Drammeh said he was yet to “come to terms” with the deaths of his two children.
The 40-year-old, who arrived at the scene on Sunday from the US, told The Times: “I am just grieving. I have come straight here from the airport and now I am going to the hospital to see my wife.
“I don’t know what has happened here. This is just so upsetting. I haven’t started to come to terms with what has happened.”
Ms Hydara had been taken to Queen’s Medical Centre following the fire in Fairisle Close shortly after 3.15am. Her two children were taken to the same hospital after the blaze but died shortly afterwards.
A local resident, who asked not to be named, was alerted by a fire engine’s lights while watching a film, and then saw smoke billowing from the rear windows of the first-floor flat. He told reporters: “I saw the blue lights and smoke was coming out of the top windows.”
The eyewitness said the older child was brought out of the property first, with the one-year-old being carried out by a single firefighter shortly afterwards.
Estimating that CPR was then carried out at the scene for around 20 minutes, the man added: “It was dark and raining and with the smoke I couldn’t see what was happening behind the fire engine.”
“It’s sickening. I feel so sorry for the family,” he added.
Steven Davies, 54, who lives in the ground floor flat, said: “I saw the police drag out the little ones. The smoke was terrible. The kids would have had no chance. The lady who lives there was really kind. The children were lovely.”
A 31-year-old man from Clifton was arrested on Sunday night and remains in custody on Tuesday.
DCI Sinski from Nottinghamshire Police said on Tuesday: “The local community has been shocked and deeply saddened by the events of the past two days and I want to thank those living in the area for the patience and understanding while we gather evidence at the scene.”
He urged anyone with information - no matter how insignificant they think it may be - to contact police.
“We would specifically like to speak to anyone who was in or around Fairisle Close between 12am and 4.30am on Sunday morning,” he said.
Anyone with information has been asked to submit it online here. If they would prefer to speak over the phone, they have been asked to call 101 and ask for Nottinghamshire Police quoting incident 110 of 20 November 2022.
Alternatively, they can anonymously contact the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through their website.
