Detectives want to identify a man seen on bus CCTV after a fire at a home in Lydford Road, Maida Hill, on 18 July. The man inside was not hurt.

Detectives investigating a fire at a home in Lydford Road, Maida Hill, have released a bus CCTV image of a man they want to speak to. The Metropolitan Police published the appeal on Thursday 15 October, three months after the fire.

A man was inside the house when it happened. He was not hurt.

What happened

The Met’s statement sets out the night in two parts.

  • Shortly before 1.50am on Saturday 18 July, a resident of Lydford Road called police about a disturbance outside his front door. Officers went, but found no one nearby.
  • At around 4.50am the same morning, police and the London Fire Brigade were called to a fire at the same address.

Detectives have since reviewed CCTV, spoken to witnesses and neighbours, and carried out forensic examinations. The Met is treating it as arson. Nobody has been charged, and the force has not said whether anyone has been arrested.

What the police are asking

Detective Constable Lucy Kirkby is leading the investigation. She said:

“This was a deeply concerning incident which could have had far more serious consequences.”

She asked three things of anyone who was in Lydford Road, Walterton Road or Fernhead Road in the early hours of Saturday 18 July:

  • Do you know or recognise the man in the picture?
  • Did you see anyone acting suspiciously?
  • Do you have CCTV, doorbell, dashcam or other footage that could help?

“If you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please come forward,” she said.

How to contact the police

  • Call 101 and quote reference CAD1532/18JUL26.
  • Or tell Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you see the man, do not approach him. Call 999 if a crime is happening.

The area

The three roads named in the appeal sit together in Maida Hill, in the north-west of the borough. They fall in the Met’s Harrow Road neighbourhood, which has its own safer neighbourhood team.

For context, within a mile of Lydford Road, police.uk recorded between 60 and 79 criminal damage and arson offences a month from September 2025 to April 2026. Police.uk counts criminal damage and arson together, so most of those are damage, not fires. The Met’s figures for this category from May onwards are far lower than every earlier month and look incomplete, so we have left them out.

What it means for you

  • If you live on or near Lydford Road, Walterton Road or Fernhead Road: check any doorbell or driveway camera footage from the early hours of 18 July. Footage that has not been deleted may still help.
  • If you drove through that night: dashcam footage between about 1.30am and 5am may help.
  • If you recognise the man: call 101 with the reference above, or Crimestoppers if you would rather not give your name.
  • For your own home: the London Fire Brigade gives free home fire safety visits and advice on letterbox fire protection.

Sources