A 77-year-old woman left in a critical condition after a house fire in Warwickshire has died and police are now treating the incident as arson.
The blaze broke out at Harold Cox Place, in Rugby, at about 2.50am on Saturday. A 77-year-old man died on Saturday afternoon from the effects of the blaze while the woman remained in hospital in a critical condition.
Warwickshire Police said she died on Sunday. Both pensioners had inhaled smoke.
Firefighters also rescued a 74-year-old woman from a neighbouring property. She was uninjured.
Officers are checking CCTV footage and carrying out house-to-house enquiries.
Meanwhile, police said they are investigating a second fire which occurred in the area.
A police spokesman said: "Detectives are investigating a second suspicious fire at Harold Cox Place, Rugby, where two elderly people died at the weekend. Police are now treating both incidents as arson and believe that they may be connected."
Confirming details of the latest incident, the spokesman said the fire service was called to the flats at 01.28am to tackle a blaze which had also started near a mobility scooter.
The police spokesman added: "Officers investigating the incidents are appealing for information from members of the public. They want to hear from anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the vicinity of Harold Cox Place in the early hours of this morning or Saturday morning, or who has any information which would help them with their inquiries."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Inspector Howard Orsmby on 01926 415000 or the Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555111.
