Homicide Squad detectives are investigating after a 77-year-old woman was found dead following a suspicious house fire on the NSW Central Coast.

Flames engulfed a single-level unit on Melissa Close in Bateau Bay, north of Terrigal, about 9.30pm yesterday.

Police arrived to find a body, believed to be the female resident, in the lounge room.

Police say the woman had suffered severe burns, but her exact cause of death still has to be determined by a post-mortem examination. 

A crime scene has been established, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

Homicide Squad detectives are investigating what police have deemed a suspicious death. 

Today, a 26-year-old man, believed to be known to the woman, has been arrested for an unrelated and outstanding warrant for domestic violenc

See Full Page