A man has been charged after a 77-year-old woman was found dead following a suspicious house fire on the NSW Central Coast.

Homicide detectives were summoned for assistance after a fire broke out in a single-level unit on Melissa Close in Bateau Bay, north of Terrigal, around 9:30 PM last night.

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

This evening, police reported that a 26-year-old man was apprehended in Chittaway at approximately 3:30 PM yesterday, based on an outstanding warrant for an unrelated domestic violence case, and has now been charged with arson for setting the property on fire.

It’s believed he was known to the woman.

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 were called in to help investigate what police deemed a suspicious death. 

The 26-year-old was denied bail to face Bail Division Local Court 6 tomorrow.

Inquiries continue.