Police Arrest Newtown Man Over Fatal Boarding Home Fire

A man has been charged with three counts of murder for his involvement in the fire at Newton on Tuesday.

Police arrested the 45-year-old early on Wednesday, following investigations into the fatal deaths at the boarding house which was set ablaze.

Three people have been confirmed dead, with one resident still missing from the Sydney west unit.

A witness saw a man fleeing from the home around 1am on Tuesday, after it was allegedly doused and ignited.

Richard Hotoron from Newtown attended Surry Hills police station where he was later charged with destroying property and murder.

A neighbour told ABC of a suspicious man trying to light his fence several weeks ago.

"He was wandering around, looking into houses and over fences — it was strange and then I noticed him trying to set my fence on fire," he said.

"I also heard him asking around about a boarding house — it was if he was trying to find someone."

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter said the property will be extensively investigated today.

"We still haven't been able to explore all the rooms in the boarding house so fingers crossed that the death toll won't rise but we still have some fears that people could be unaccounted for yet," Cotter said on Sydney radio.

"We've made some inroads (since Tuesday morning) into the ground floor, and we're inspecting that with the structural engineers.

Police allege more bodies may be discovered inside the property, after resident were trapped.

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