Girl, seven, and boy, three, are killed when fire rips through family’s suburban three-storey house
Girl, seven, and boy, three, are killed when fire rips through three-storey house as father vainly tries to save them and mother suffers life-changing injuries as she breaks bones jumping from window
- A boy, three, and girl, seven, have died after a fire ripped through their home
- A woman, 35, has suffered life-changing injuries after the fire near St Neots
- A man, 46, had minor injuries after trying to save the children yesterday
- Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the ‘serious house fire’
A seven-year-old girl and a boy, three, have died after a fire ripped through a family’s suburban three-storey house.
A woman, 35, suffered life-changing injuries including broken bones after jumping from a window to escape the blaze that broke out at around 7am yesterday in Eynesbury, a suburb of St Neots, Cambridgeshire.
The children were pronounced dead at the scene, the woman was taken to hospital and a 46-year-old man, reportedly the children’s step father, suffered minor injuries as he rushed inside to try to save them.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established, however police are working with fire investigators to get to the route of the blaze.
Police and fire service officers are continuing their investigations at the property today, and floral tributes have begun to pile up on a verge near the house.
A woman, 35, suffered life-changing injuries including broken bones after jumping from a window to escape the blaze that broke out at around 7am yesterday in Eynesbury, a suburb of St Neots, Cambridgeshire
Investigations are ongoing for the source of the fire after the two children lost their lives yesterday. Fire crews remain at the scene
A woman arrived with flowers to lay at the scene this morning after a boy and girl were killed by the blaze yesterday
Windows on the terraced home’s second and third floors are completely burnt-out with the rooms inside blackened and guttering melted away.
The house is on a modern estate near St Neots, with many homes decorated for Christmas – including a festive wreath on one immediate neighbour’s door.
The children’s mother is now in hospital recovering after leaping from the building, according to a GoFundMe page set up to support the family. Police said that the mother’s injuries were caused by jumping from a second-floor window.
Organiser Angela Russell said: ‘A house fire broke out today leaving a family in shatters.
Photographs from the scene show fire and smoke damage around windows on the first and second floors of the property
The children were pronounced dead at the scene, a woman was taken to hospital and a 46-year-old man suffered minor injuries as he rushed inside to try to save them
Crews from Huntingdon, Sawtry, St Neots, Gamlingay, Cambridge, along with crews from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene
Fire crews pictured at the scene yesterday morning as the fire continued to smoulder at the house where two children died
Tributes left outside the house included two rabbits for the boy and girl who died
‘The mum is at hospital with broken bones after having to jump from the window, and devastatingly the 2 children 3 & 8 years didn’t survive.
‘The step dad is also receiving medical help after rushing home to try and gain access to save the children.
‘This couple have lost their home and most precious people in their life, please donate and help.’
Neighbour Charles Cooper, 30, said the fire got out of control ‘fairly swiftly’. He added: ‘By the time my wife and I woke up the firefighters had already arrived.
‘It took a good three or four hours before the smoke abated. The flames were coming out of the top window.’
He said he did not know the family to speak to but said ‘we would give them a wave’.
He added: ‘I’ve seen the children playing in the garden.
‘Everyone’s perfectly polite and pleasant but it’s not the sort of place we all get together on a regular basis.’
Neighbour Peter Kellythorn, 40, said there was a smell ‘like something might be smouldering’ when he woke up yesterday.
‘I got dressed, came outside and there was smoke billowing out from the back window,’ he said.
He added that a satellite dish on the house appeared to have melted, and said: ‘The heat – it doesn’t bear thinking about.
‘It’s awful. We hoped everyone had got out. They’re fairly new houses and they’re all fitted with fire alarms and things. It’s just awful.’
Describing the scene today, an eyewitness said: ‘It looks pretty awful.
‘It’s a three-storey house – the top window and two windows on the middle floor are gutted, and the bottom floor window is covered with plastic.
Neighbours left flowers at the scene as investigators worked to discover the cause of the fire
‘Fire investigators are going in and out. There’s a dog unit here too, although they haven’t gone in yet.’
People have already started posting heartfelt messages of condolence on Facebook.
One person said: ‘So utterly heartbreaking. Condolences to all family and friends.’
Another added: ‘Absolutely devastating. RIP little angels and strength and love to the rest of the family at this heartbreaking time.’
A GoFundMe page set up by a neighbour with a target of raising £1,000 for the family had reached £3,000 by Friday afternoon.
The fundraiser of another page, Gemma Phillips, said: ‘Having only recently been impacted by the devastation caused by the fire of my Aunt’s home, my heart completely goes out to this family.
A ground floor window was taped over as fire crews entered the property this morning
Neighbours brought a bouquet of flowers to leave outside the burnt out home as a woman remains in hospital
‘I can only imagine the suffering they are going through. Let’s show them we care by donating to help them through the immeasurable trauma they must be experiencing.’
And Simona Bagnato wrote on Go Fund Me: ’10/12, in Eynesbury – Buttercup Avenue a house next to ours had an accident.
‘The house is totally burnt. ‘As neighbor (sic) I thought to help raising money for this family that have lost everything.
‘I know that a little help from each of us will make a difference for these unfortunate people. Thank you for your time.’
Crews from Huntingdon, Sawtry, St Neots, Gamlingay, Cambridge, along with crews from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene. Around 40 firefighters were in attendance yesterday.
The chief of Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service has described the blaze as ‘devastating’ in a statement. Chris Strickland said: ‘This is such a devastating incident and our thoughts remain with the family.
All the windows on the top floors of the home were completely destroyed, while surrounding houses appear to have escaped damage
‘Crews fought tirelessly to get the fire under control and locate the children who they had been told were still in the house. It’s one of the toughest incidents you can attend as a firefighter and we’re looking after the crews who were there.
‘But all of our thoughts are very much with the family and the local community and we’ll be in the area over the coming days providing support to residents.’
Pictures show that locals have started laying flowers and tributes next to a small tree near to the house this morning.
Posting on Facebook, one person said: ‘For anyone wanting to leave flowers for the family of house fire in Eynesbury yesterday there is a small tree near the house and the fire investigation team have said to leave them there.
‘I have just laid some and unknowingly I was the first. Thinking of all the family at this horrific time.’
Nearby residents raised the alarm after they noticed a ‘serious house fire’ had taken hold of the property in the Knights Park development near a Tesco superstore.
Cambridgeshire police said yesterday: ‘We were called at 7.16am this morning, Thursday December 10, by the ambulance service reporting a fire at a house in Buttercup Avenue, Eynesbury.
‘All three emergency services are in attendance. Residents are advised to avoid the area while emergency services respond to the incident.’
