A man has been charged with arson following the "absolutely tragic" death of an elderly woman in a unit fire.
The severely-burnt body of the 77-year-old, who's yet to be formally identified, was found in the lounge room of the unit on Sunday night after the blaze was put out.
NSW Police set up a strike force to investigate the suspicious fire at the unit block in Bateau Bay on the NSW Central Coast.
Late on Monday, a 26-year-old man was charged with a domestic violence offence, damage property by fire/explosion.
The man had earlier been arrested on an outstanding warrant for an unrelated domestic violence-related offence.
He was refused bail to appear in Bail Division Local Court on Tuesday.
Detectives are awaiting the outcome of a post-mortem examination of the woman's body to confirm her identity and cause of death.
Tuggerah Lakes Superintendent Chad Gillies said the man was a relative of the woman.
"It's absolutely tragic, a 77-year-old female in her own home, dying inside her own unit through a fire," Supt Gillies said.
