THE FATHER of four girls murdered in a house fire died yesterday morning — taking with him to the grave the secret of what happened immediately before the blaze broke out.

Mohammed Riaz, 49, was hauled from the inferno that engulfed his end-of-terrace home in Accrington, Lancashire, early on Wednesday.

Firefighters found his wife Caneze, 39, and daughters Sayrah, 16, Sophia, 15, Alicia, 10, and Hannah, three, dead in their beds.

Lancashire police had said that they wanted to talk to Mr Riaz about the blaze, which could only have been started by someone in a house, as it was locked from the inside.

Detectives had been waiting at his bedside at Wythenshawe Hospital but he died at 8.33am, without regaining consciousness. He had suffered 60 per cent burns in the fire. Mr Riaz’s death leaves his eldest son, Adam, 17, who is seriously ill with leukaemia, as the only surviving member of the immediate family. Lancashire police said that they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the murders.

Detectives said they had a lot more work to carry out before they complete their investigation but that they could not rule out the possibility that the deaths were an “honour killing”.

It is known that that the couple’s marriage was breaking down. Friends have suggested that Mr Riaz felt outshone by his outgoing wife and had grown fearful that she was developing a relationship with another man.

Under the strain of a disintegrating marriage and his son’s illness, it is believed that he might simply have snapped.

There was a sense of bewilderment as Muslims gathered for Friday prayers in the former mill town.

Mr Riaz, who had spent most of his life in North West Frontier Province in Pakistan, was known as a retiring, religious man at the Raza Jamia mosque in Grimshaw Street, where he worshipped.

Waheed Ahmed, the mosque’s general secretary, spoke of the “absolutely horrific” nature of the murders, echoing the sense of loss felt by the predominantly Pakistani enclave, where Mrs Riaz was a high-profile figure.

Mrs Riaz, who was of mixed race, was born in Accrington but spent 15 formative years in Pakistan, where she made an arranged marriage. She brought her husband back to Britain in the early 1990s and settled close to her parents to raise a family.

Three years ago Mrs Riaz’s father, Abdul, died of a heart attack, after which the constraints of duty and domestic responsibility that had kept her tied to the home appeared to loosen. She began to lead a more Westernised lifestyle and became involved in groups and causes. One, the Hyndburn Cultural Association, works with depressed Pakistani women and young people.

By contrast, Mr Riaz, a former taxi driver who worked for a plastic-bag manufacturer, felt that he had lost control of his family. He could speak little English and had been sleeping downstairs. Detective Chief Inspector Neil Hunter said: “There was a breakdown in the relationship and we are looking into this as part of our investigation. They were leading separate lives but they were cordial and putting a brave face on things for the children.”

The six deaths have touched the community deeply. Many left expressions of sympathy for Adam Riaz in a book of condolence opened by the Lancashire Telegraph. Alana Glendinning, a classmate of Sayrah Riaz, said: “I send all my sympathy out to brave Adam. It must be very hard for him. Sayrah will always be in my heart, and her mum was also very friendly.”

Myrra Taylor, of Moorhead High School, where Sayrah was deputy head girl, said: “My heart goes out to Adam Riaz and to all those people who are grieving at this moment.”

Khadm Hussain, a friend and neighbour, said: “Everybody is so shocked. There are six people dead from the same family. It is very sad.”

Sardar Ali, the chairman of Raza Jamia mosque, said that the Riaz family had been in thoughts at prayers. “Everybody is very sad. They were a good family.”

The number of floral tributes continued to grow outside the family’s house. One large card signed by Sayrah’s classmates read: “Their memory is a treasure, their loss a lifetime regret. In our hearts they will live forever.”

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