THE son of a “kind-hearted and loving” woman who died after a house fire in Southend has paid tribute to her.

The victim of the fire on Soutchurch Road, named as 66-year-old Elsie Pinder, has been described as "bottle of champagne waiting to pop."

She was rescued from the fire in the early hours of Saturday morning, before passing away a "short time later."

A murder probe was subsequently launched by Essex Police.

Echo: Forensic teams at the sceneForensic teams at the scene

A 41-year-old remains in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder.

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Elsie's son Paul, said: "She was a lovely, kind-hearted, generous, loving and witty lady who can only be described as a bottle of champagne waiting to pop.

“She will be sadly missed.”

A spokesman from Essex Police, said: "We have launched a murder investigation after 66-year-old Elsie Pinder died after a fire in Southchurch Road.

"We were called by colleagues in the fire service to the incident at about 2.45am on Saturday July 3, after a property caught fire.

Echo: The scene on MondayThe scene on Monday

"Sadly, Elsie died in hospital a short time later.

"A thorough examination of the fire site was carried out by experts and her death is being treated as murder.

"Our complex investigation is continuing today and our investigators are likely to remain at the scene for the coming days.

"A 41-year-old man from Southend, who was known to the victim, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody for questioning.

"Anyone who believes they have information on the woman’s death or the hours leading up to the fire should call us on 101 and cite 42/128551/21."