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Woman linked to fatal flat blaze
A Corby woman has been arrested in connection with a blaze in which a mother and her three-year-old daughter died.
The bodies, believed to be those of Bola Ejifunmilayo, 29, and her daughter Fiyin, were not discovered in the burned out flat in Milton Keynes until nearly 36 hours after the fire, which started in the early hours of Sunday.
The 48-year-old woman from Corby, who has not been named, was arrested on Tuesday night and is being held in police custody on suspicion of arson and in connection with an earlier disturbance at the property.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said he could not comment on what connection the woman has with the Milton Keynes area.
Formal identification of the woman and the child who died is not expected to take place for several days.
Around 30 residents from surrounding flats were evacuated as up to 40 firefighters fought the blaze.
A police cordon remained around the property on Tuesday morning, where a number of floral tributes were left.
Philomina Adutwum, who paid tribute to her neighbour, said: "She was a nice lady, and hard working.
"Every morning when I was taking my son to school, she was taking her little girl to school. There were never any problems with them, they were always nice people."
A woman was rescued from her bedroom by the fire and rescue service as they swept the area but before the search could be completed, floors and ceilings collapsed. A firefighter was treated for arm and shoulder injuries but was later allowed home from hospital.
Supt Simon Eatwell, Said: "Our priority at this stage is to ensure that a thorough and proper investigation takes place to determine how this fire started and if any criminal offence has taken place.
"Two people have tragically died in this fire, believed to be a mother and her daughter, and we owe it to them and their family to do everything we can to find out what happened.
"We have specially trained officers supporting the family during this difficult time and keeping them fully updated with the progress of the investigation. We are also liaising closely with the local pastor who is helping us keep the local community informed as well as providing
support and comfort."
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Weather for Kettering
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: West
