Around 150 residents gathered for a prayer service in North London to remember “four beautiful souls” killed in a devastating house fire.
Nusrat Usman, 43, her daughter Maryam Mikaiel, 15, and sons Musa Usman, eight, and Raees Usman, four, died when their home in Stonebridge, Brent burst into flames in the early hours of Saturday.
Two other relatives, a teenage girl and an elderly woman, were pulled from the burning building by a neighbour before the London Ambulance Service admitted them to hospital.
The girl, 13, remains in hospital in a critical condition, while the woman in her 70s has been discharged.
A man, 41, was arrested at the scene. He has since been bailed and was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act.
Locals said the family are of Pakistani origin and have lived in the Brent area for some time.
Floral tributes have been left at the scene on Tillett Close, near Stonebridge Park station.
Muhammed Butt, Brent Council’s leader who lives down the road from the damaged property, told mourners at a vigil on Tuesday night that the tragedy had united the community.
The Labour councillor, who represents the Tokyngton ward where tragedy struck, told the BBC: "We are mourning the loss of four beautiful souls.
“I live just around the corner, just across the road, and the community is so united.
"Everyone knows one another so to have this tragedy you can see, you can feel the loss that people are feeling.
“They care about one another, they look after one another and they care about everyone."
Those in attendance spoke about how the father Ozzy was still coming to terms with the loss of his wife and children.
Victor Pedra said he heard a crying man scream “my children, my wife, my whole family is in there” at the time of the blaze.
The electrician said he smashed a lower floor window to gain access to his neighbour’s place.
He helped rescue the girl and woman before the London Ambulance Service took them to hospital.
The father-of-two told The Sun: “I had gone outside and saw people standing around watching these huge flames so I just knew I had to act. I cut my hand breaking the window.
“The grandmother and one of the daughters managed to get out safely. The only way they could escape was through the garden as the front door was blocked by the fire.
“The flames were so strong and there was smoke everywhere. I couldn’t get to the second floor where the mum and her youngest son was.
“I also had to wake up the people in the house next door before it caught fire as they were all sleeping and hadn’t realised.
“Firefighters managed to bring the mum and one of the sons out and attempted CPR for about an hour but it was no use.
I couldn’t sleep that night
“They also managed to bring the other son and eldest daughter out from the top floor but sadly it was too late for them. It was really tough to see.
“I couldn’t sleep that night as I just kept hearing the screams from inside the house.”
Superintendent Steve Allen, from Scotland Yard’s local policing team in north-west London, said detectives are leading the ongoing investigation into the cause of the incident.
He said: “The wider family have been informed, and officers will continue to support them at this incredibly difficult time.”
