A woman and an 8-year-old girl have died in a “suspicious” house fire in Huddersfield, England, while another 10-year-old child was critically injured. First responders attended the home just after 2 am on July 31 to find the house ablaze, and after firefighters brought the flames under control, the adult and two children were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle of West Yorkshire Police confirmed that the fire was being treated with suspicion but also stated that the police are not seeking any third parties in connection with the tragedy.
The dead woman was later identified as 31-year-old Danielle Parkinson. The dead child has not been named, and local media reports indicate that the second child remains in a critical condition in hospital. A formal police statement confirmed, “Investigations into the fire are in their early stages, we are currently treating it as suspicious.”
Police generally consider a fire suspicious for one of a variety of reasons. If a fire has more than one evident source, they will usually consider it suspicious. This is based on the notion that accidental fires start in one place and spread from that central point, whereas deliberately set fires could have more than one source.
Additionally, if there is evidence of an accelerant, police will typically conclude that arson is responsible for the fire. Common accelerants are gasoline, kerosine, or other flammables. Another indicator that may render a fire “suspicious” is unusual char patterns. This might include indicators that a fire started in a highly unusual place. Common ignition points, for instance, are electrical sockets or electrical sources positioned close to a flammable item, such as a piece of furniture. Any fire that starts in a place other than those that are common is usually treated as suspicious.
Also treated as suspect are fires in unoccupied buildings, particularly those without electricity, and fires that break out soon after a related insurance policy is purchased. Given that the police are not searching for a third party, and described the fire is suspicious, the officers may believe the dead woman was involved in starting the blaze.
