Search teams to enter 'arson' house

5:25pm Thursday 28th August 2008

Search teams hope to enter the fire-ravaged home of a millionaire and his family shortly.

Christopher Foster, his wife Jill and their 15-year-old daughter Kirstie, are feared to have died in the blaze at their secluded country estate in the early hours of Tuesday.

The damage to the house, in Maesbrook, near Oswestry, Shropshire, was such that search teams have not yet been able to enter it.

Superintendent Gary Higgins, from West Mercia Constabulary, said every possible line of inquiry to trace the family was being followed up.

He said: "Until we can enter the property, we do not know whether the family was inside at the time of the fire, which we believe was started deliberately.

"A lot of work has been done by the fire service overnight to damp it down and reduce the temperature enough for work to stabilise the structure to begin and make it safe to enter."

In a statement, Mr Higgins said the search was likely to take several days.

He said: "It is a large property and there is a lot of debris inside which will have to be painstakingly sifted through and examined.

"This is not something which can be done quickly.

"Once we have access to the house, we will find out whether the family was inside at the time of the fire. Scenes of crime officers have already carried out examinations at the various outhouses."