A police investigation has been opened after a man’s body was set on fire in a suburban park in west London.
Police were called to Belvue Park in Northolt shortly after 4.37am on Monday by London firefighters following calls from the public.
The Ealing police Twitter account said: “Officers are working to identify the deceased, at this stage he is believed to be a man, and to inform his relatives.”
The death is described as unexplained as investigators try to find out the cause of the fire. There were no arrests. A cordon is kept at the scene.
London firefighters said they were called to Rowdell Road Park at 4.19am. He said the incident was declared over at 4.56 p.m. The causes of the fire are being investigated by the Fire Department and the Metropolitan Police.
Aysha Raza, a member of Ealing’s cabinet to deal with inequality, which is responsible for tackling crime, said the news of the incident had been a shock to the area.
He said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased. We don’t know much about what happened. We need to let the police continue their investigation so we can know what to do next.”
He described the area around Belvue Park as suburban and a “nice area in general”. He added: “Everyone gets along. Everyone is from different backgrounds and different communities. And in general we all get along pretty well.”
Chris Summers, Northolt Mandeville Labor Councilor, which includes Belvue Park, said: “I am horrified to learn of this incident. My thoughts are with the family of the deceased. And I’m sure the whole community will be surprised. We are confident that the police will get to the bottom of what happened. “
He said the area where the park was located was not associated with crime.
In 2011, Edgware’s Adeniyi Shode was stabbed near Belvue Park in an unsolved murder that is believed to be related to drug trafficking.