Doctor's wife and her four young children die in house fire - and a fifth taken to hospital - as police confirm early hours blaze as suspicious

• Firefighters were called to the house in Harlow, Essex, at 1.45am and they think fuel may have been used to start the blaze
• Two boys and a girl died along with their mother and a fourth child was declared dead this morning
• Police and firefighters have launched investigation into the cause of the blaze which 'began downstairs'
• They found a silver Ford Focus alight 50 yards from the home and are treating this as suspected arson

A fourth child has died following a devastating blaze at a house in the early hours of this morning which police are now treating as suspicious.
Firefighters were called to the two-storey property in Barn Mead, Harlow, Essex, at around 1.45am where they found a house 'well alight' with flames pouring from both the front and back doors.
Sabah Usmani and her sons Sohaib, 11, and Rayan, six, as well as 13-year-old daughter Hira, were declared dead at the scene.

A third son, Muneeb, nine, and three-year-old daughter Maheen, were rescued by fire crews and taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Muneeb died this morning while Maheen remains in a critical condition and has been transferred to a specialist burns unit.

Victims: From left Hira, 13, Sohaib, 11, their mother Sabah Usami, Rayan, six, and Muneeb, nine, all perished in the blaze. Three-year-old Maheen, on the far right, survived and is being treated in hospital

Couple: Doctor Abdul Shakour survived the blaze with minor injuries while his wife Sabah Usmani died

Tragedy: Four children died in the blaze, aged 13, 11, nine, and six. Fire damage can be seen at the back of the house, on the brickwork and the walls are black with smoke

Blaze: Fire damage can be clearly seen at the upstairs window and smoke has stained the brickwork of the end-of-terraced property. It is not known how the fire started yet but it's being treated as suspicious

A man - believed to be the woman's doctor husband Abdul Shakour - suffered minor burns and is being treated at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.
Chief fire officer David Johnson said the blaze, which started downstairs while the family were asleep upstairs, had developed rapidly suggesting some kind of fuel may have been used.
Parvez Hamid, 43, and Safia Anwar, 38, have known the couple since they moved to the area.
The family are originally from Karachi, Pakistan, but had lived for more than a decade in Saudi Arabia before moving to Manchester and later Harlow.
Both parents were doctors. Abdul Shakour worked at the Princess Alexandra Hospital while Mrs Usmani cared for the children.

Belongings: A partially-burned suitcase on the ground outside the house while experts investigate the cause

Family home: The suitcase lays on the ground outside the house which has been cordoned off

Mrs Anwar said: 'They were a wonderful family. The children were best friends with our own.

'We would seem them at mosque and at the school gates. They were just such a lovely family. I last saw Sabah on Friday. She seemed normal with no worries at all.

'I heard what happened from a friend who lived nearby. It has come as such a shock to us all and it is still sinking in. We are absolutely devastated.'

Mr Hamid said: 'There children were so well behaved and I was always envious that mine weren't the same. They were hardworking parents who will be missed.

Devastating: A close up view of an upstairs window with the glass missing and the frame is also charred

An aerial picture showing the scene at Barn Mead in Harlow after the blaze which has gutted the house

'The Asian community is very tight knit in this area and we are all in shock.'
Melanie Walker, chief executive of the Princess Alexandra Hospital, said: 'The hospital is deeply saddened by the tragic circumstances which have occurred.

'Our thoughts are with our colleague and his family at this very difficult time. Our staff, many of whom helped deal with this situation, are receiving the support they need.'

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Rob Vinson said: 'This is still the early stages of our investigation into the tragic death of five members of one family, a mother and four of her young children.
'At this time we are investigating to see whether this fire was started deliberately and need anyone with information to contact us.'

A sniffer dog works around the car at the scene of a fire this morning - the car is not related to the family

Police are treating the burnt out car as arson and it's seen being taken away on a recovery vehicle

This morning a cordon was in place around the end-of-terrace house where smoke damage could be seen around an upstairs window and on the brickwork.
The house will be forensically examined by specialist scientists to find how and where the blaze started.
Firefighters said when they arrived at the scene they found a silver Ford Focus on fire a short distance from the house but said the car was not connected to the family. They are treating the car fire as arson.
The house fire was finally brought under control shortly before 3am.
Det Supt Vinson added: 'For the sake of the family, who are trying to come to terms with this tragic incident, I would ask for information from the public, especially in the Harlow area, to help us determine exactly what has happened.'

Police at the scene of the fire this morning. Police think the blaze could have been started with fuel

Investigation: Fire investigation officers arrive at the scene in Harlow to piece together how the fire started

Officials: The fire investigation officers wear red overalls as they begin their work. One neighbour said she heard 'horrible screaming' from the house and the sound of a woman screaming 'help'

Neighbour Amanda Chadwick, 34, says she was awoken in the early hours of this morning by the sound of 'horrible screaming' from the house.
She said: 'I woke up about half one this morning to the sound of a woman screaming 'help'.

'There was a man, also, he sounded like he was calling out to find someone but I couldn't make out the names. It was absolutely horrible - before I knew it there were blue lights flashing and an ambulance arrived.
'It's an absolute tragedy.'
Sharon Pavey has lived in the house next door for 10 years. She said the family had only recent moved the area and she believed the father worked as a doctor.
She added: 'I saw flames coming out of the back window and dialled 999 but they were already on their way. The flames and smoke were billowing out and we could tell it was very serious.
'I don't think many people knew them but we are all in shock and this is very sad news.'
Police want anyone who was in the area of Barn Mead in the early hours of Monday to contact them with information.
Assistant divisional officer Steve Foster, from Essex Fire and Rescue, said: 'Crews arriving at the scene did everything they could.
'They were faced with a rapidly developed fire and went straight into the burning building wearing breathing apparatus to bring people out as quickly as possible.
'Once casualties were out, they worked alongside ambulance teams to do all they could.
'Fire investigation teams are now working with police to establish how this tragedy happened and our thoughts are with those the family left behind.'
Gary Sanderson, spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service, said: 'First and foremost our thoughts are with the family and friends of all involved in this tragic incident this morning.
'Following a rapid scene assessment by the first clinician on scene, our trust declared a major incident due to the severity of the incident.'

Mystery: Firefighters look at the remains of the burnt out silver Ford Focus found near the house

Fire: A burnt out car is seen close to the fire-damaged house (right) in Barn Mead, Harlow, Essex which has now been cordoned off while police investigate the blaze. A fourth child died this morning

Firefighters: Two fire engines can be seen at the scene of the blaze. The children's father suffered minor injuries. Police are treating the incident as suspicious and say fuel could have been used

Injuries: Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow where Abdul Shakour works and where he has been treated for minor injuries. Four of his children have died this morning