Two men charged with murder after mother and three children killed in Bradford house fire
The pair were charged after the fire in Bradford's Westbury Road
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Two men have been charged with murder following a house fire in Bradford which killed a mother and her three children.
Mohammed Shabir, 44, and Calum Sunderland, 25, have both been charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over the blaze, West Yorkshire Police have said.
The pair will appear at Bradford Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, while four other people remain under investigation - including a 39-year-old man who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.
The 39-year-old, who remains in hospital in a critical condition, is the "ex-partner of a woman who was visiting the family", police said.
Emergency services had descended on a property in the city's Westbury RoadGoogleA further police statement on Tuesday evening said that another suspect, a 36-year-old man arrested on Friday on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, has been interviewed and released on conditional bail.
The force added that a 54-year-old woman and 42-year-old man arrested on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender have also been interviewed and released on bail.
Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her three children - Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and Aubree Birtle, just 22 months old - died after their home on Westbury Road, Bradford, was deliberately set alight in the early hours of Wednesday, August 21.
Emergency services had descended on a property on the street after the fire service alerted police to the nature of the blaze just after 2am.
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Emergency services were seen in Westbury Road following the fire
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Officers had scoured nearby streets as they hunted for suspects
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As part of their "extensive" investigation, police had been seen scouring a number of addresses on nearby Carlby Grove, Carlton Street, Malsis Road and Minnie Street, as well as Kensington Street and Alice Street in Keighley.
Gawith was "tragically" pronounced dead at the scene, the force said, while her three children all died in hospital.
Specialist officers from West Yorkshire Police have been supporting the deceased four's family members - including Gawith's partner Jonathan, who released a statement on Thursday evening.
He said: "I am absolutely distraught at the sudden loss of my fiancee Bryonie and our three beautiful children.
Police, pictured during enquiries on nearby Malsis Road
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"Bryonie and I were together for a long time, and we had a good life together.
"She was a beautiful woman and a loving mother to Oscar, Aubree and Denisty.
"I loved them with all my heart and if I had the chance, I would take their place in a heartbeat. I cannot imagine life without them.
"They will never be forgotten and will always be in my heart."
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