A 54-year-old man has been charged in connection with a fatal house fire that claimed the life of a woman in Barbados.

The Barbados Police Service said Ricardo Okella Stanford has been charged with murder and arson following the death of 51-year-old Shanell Smith.

Smith died after a fire destroyed a home on March 27. She was the only person killed in the blaze.

Police said Stanford is expected to appear before the District ‘A’ Criminal Court on April 7.

The fire also displaced six other people who were living at the residence, leaving them homeless.