Man charged once with murder & eight times with attempted murder after blaze killed woman – as 2nd still fights for life

The scene outside a fire damaged property following a fire on Berkeley Avenue in Hounslow, in which a 48-year-old woman died and a further eight people were taken to hospital. Police said a murder inquiry is now under way, but no arrests have been made. Picture date: Thursday August 20, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Whitley/PA Wire Credit: PA A MAN has been charged with murder after a house fire in west London left a woman dead and another fighting for her life. Emergency services descended on Berkley Avenue in Hounslow, West London, in the early hours of August 19 following reports of a fire. A man has been charged with murder after a fatal house fire in West London Credit: PA The blaze left one woman, 48, dead while another woman, 40, is in a life-threatening condition Credit: PA A 48-year-old woman later died in hospital while another woman, aged 40, remains in a life-threatening condition. Pawel Kulpa, 34, has now been charged with one count of murder, eight counts of attempted murder and one count of arson with intent to endanger life. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! He will appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on August 25. The Metropolitan Police have said the other six men and one woman who were taken to hospital have since been discharged with minor injuries. The Met Police said those taken to hospital have since been discharged with minor injuries Credit: PA Emergency services rushed to the scene after reports of a blaze Credit: The Sun Exclusive Emergency services were scrambled to Berkeley Avenue last Wednesday where it was also reported that a hero neighbour in his pyjamas battled the raging flames. Armed with a jet washer, shopkeeper Satwant Singh, 48, rushed outside to fight the blaze, The Sun revealed. His daughter had spotted the fire from her bedroom window and woken him up in the middle of the night. He told us: “I told my wife to get all the children outside and then opened up the alleyway side door and brought the jet wash around the front of the house to spray the fire. Most read in The Sun “I could see that the door was on fire but there was smoke everywhere else. Satwant said he put out “most of the fire”, adding: “I didn’t think about myself, I was just thinking that I needed to help. “We are Sikhs. My culture says we should help people. It doesn’t matter who you are.” His wife, Barkash, praised his bravery and said she begged him to move from the flames, but that he continued spraying the house. She said: “He is very brave. I think the water from the jet wash reduced the smoke coming from the house and helped people get out.” Another local Shaf Akmal, 40, said he was one of the first people outside. He said: “I saw two men who stood on the back of a car parked in the driveway of the house and broke the downstairs window to pull two people out.” Shaf’s ring doorbell footage showed the house suddenly being engulfed in flames. Officers attended the scene alongside the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service. Lisa Ramsarran, chief crown prosecutor in London North said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Pawel Kulpa for murder, attempted murder and arson following a fatal fire in Hounslow, west London which resulted in the murder of a 48-year-old woman and the injury of eight others at approximately 1am on Wednesday 19 August. “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to pursue criminal proceedings. “We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police to bring this case to court, and we will continue working with them as their investigation progresses.”