A man and woman have been arrested after four children died in a house fire in Stafford.
Four children, aged between three and eight, were discovered dead at the property after firefighters were called to the blaze in the early hours of Tuesday.
They have been named locally as Riley, eight, Keegan, six, Olly, three, and Tilly, four.
A man, 28, and woman, 24, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence on Friday, Staffordshire Police said.
A police statement said: "Officers from Staffordshire Police have made two arrests this afternoon following a house fire in Stafford on Tuesday.
"Following an update from investigators into the probable cause of the fire we have arrested a 24-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence.
"The arrests were made at around 1.30pm. The man and woman are in custody.
"This incident has had a huge impact on the community and we understand there will be confusion and a demand for information.
"However, we would urge people not to speculate as to what may have happened and appeal for patience as the investigation continues."
After the fatal blaze, a fifth child and two adults were being treated in hospital. Their conditions were not described as life-threatening.
Neighbours said the siblings' two-year-old brother Jack survived the blaze as well as his mother, Natalie Unitt, and her partner Chris.
There were also reports a man jumped from a window with a baby in his arms.
A nearby resident described how a sheet of flames engulfed an upstairs window at the semi-detached property in Sycamore Lane in the Highfields area of Stafford.
The witness, who asked not to be named, said: "We heard a bang and looked out of the back window upstairs.
"At the start it was just a sheet of fire coming out of the bedroom window. It seemed to take ages for the fire brigade to arrive - it seemed like forever.
"The neighbours came out and drove their car out of the back garden and there were lots of fire engines and police."
Part of the roof collapsed during the inferno. Windows smashed and the inside of the property looked to have been blackened by smoke.
A raft of tributes have been left at the scene, including flowers and toys.
Relatives of the children who died were thought to be among a group of four people who visited a cordon to lay down tributes.
A hand-written note attached to a cuddly toy read: "RIP Babes xx life is so so cruel. All our thoughts are with the family at this very sad time."
