Pictured: Girl, seven, and boy, three, are killed when fire rips through family home
The family torn apart by house fire tragedy: ‘Little angels’ girl, seven, and brother, three, are killed in blaze that left their mother, 35, with serious injuries after she jumped from window
- Jade Horton, 35, is understood to have broken bones as she leapt from a window
- Daughter Sienna and son Isaac died after the fire in Eynesbury, Cambridgeshire
- Miss Horton had only recently moved to area, having set up a cleaning company
- The mother’s Facebook account has pictures of Sienna hugging her little brother
- Sienna and Isaac pronounced dead at scene – Miss Horton was taken to hospital
A family torn apart by a house fire which ripped through their three-storey house killing a seven-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy and leaving their mother with life changing injuries has been pictured.
Jade Horton, 35, is understood to have broken multiple bones as she leapt from the blazing house in Eynesbury, Cambridgeshire, while her daughter Sienna and son Isaac died after the inferno at around 7pm on Thursday.
The former prison custody officer had only recently moved to the area, having set up her own cleaning company.
Miss Horton’s Facebook account is filled with pictures of Sienna proudly hugging her younger brother and beaming with pride.
In one poignant image, Miss Horton grins as she rides a carousel horse with her daughter.
Sienna and Isaac were pronounced dead at the scene, Miss Horton 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.
Police said tonight the most probable cause was an electrical fault in a first-floor bedroom but added it was not due to Christmas lights and was not being treated as suspicious.
Jade Horton (pictured), 35, is understood to have broken multiple bones as she leapt from the blazing house in Eynesbury, Cambridgeshire, while her daughter Sienna and son Isaac died after the inferno at around 7pm on Thursday
Miss Horton’s Facebook account is filled with pictures of Sienna proudly hugging her younger brother and beaming with pride
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
Miss Horton’s nephew Jordan Davies confirmed the names of his cousins when he arrived at the scene to lay a floral tribute.
Fighting back tears, he said: ‘As far as I understand it, it was just a horrible accident. ‘I don’t think it’s suspicious.’
He declined to name the children’s father, or Miss Horton’s current partner, who he said was quite recent.
Speaking from her mother Viviane’s home in Uppingham, Rutland, Miss Horton’s sister Nicky said: ‘We do not want to speak about this at the moment.’
She added: ‘We are unable to say anything about Jade’s condition because we just don’t know.’
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances and a file is in the process of being handed to the coroner.
A specially-trained ‘fire dog’ wearing protective ‘booties’ was taken into the property.
The dogs can sniff out the source of a blaze and also help determine whether any accelerants were used.
A group of fire officers who were involved in tackling the inferno also laid flowers and stood in silence as they paid tribute.
Windows on the terraced home’s second and third floors were 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.
Miss Horton was in hospital recovering after leaping from the building, according to a GoFundMe page set up to support the family.
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
Police said the mother’s injuries were caused by jumping from a second-floor window.
A white forensic tent was put up in front of the property on Friday, with a police scientific support unit and Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire investigation dog team on scene.
Soft toys and floral tributes were left on a verge near the house. A message left on a teddy said: ‘We have no words. So heartbroken. Hope you are all in a better place.’
GoFundMe organiser Angela Russell said: ‘A house fire broke out today leaving a family in shatters.
‘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.
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
‘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 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.
Neighbour Simona Bagnato Ogbeni, 39, launched the fundraising page to support the family involved in the tragedy.
She said she did not know the occupants well but wanted to show that there was a community spirit in place.
Neighbours left flowers at the scene as investigators worked to discover the cause of the fire
A ground floor window was taped over as fire crews entered the property this morning
Simona said she and her husband live just a few doors down from the property gutted by the fire, which is in full view of the back of their home.
She said: ‘We don’t know the people who were involved – we might have seen them in the park. But we are really close – our back door faces the main road. We saw the smoke in the morning.
‘As soon as we saw it my husband rushed outside. We saw it from our bedroom window. It was very dark black smoke. My husband saw the flames first – I was getting ready.
‘There was a very, very bad smell. When my husband came back he said it was a horrific scene. He said: ‘Don’t go out there.’
They added: ‘When there was less people around I went to have a look. The windows are all burnt.’
Simona launched her GoFundMe page in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.
She added: ‘As neighbours, we can’t do anything else but help. [The total] is already over £3,000.
‘I put it there without a goal. It’s Christmas and it’s been a very unfortunate year. We all need to be kind.
‘We can’t bring them back but a little gesture is the only thing we can do. We are saying: ”You are not alone”. It’s what communities are for.’
Neighbours brought a bouquet of flowers to leave outside the burnt out home as a woman remains in hospital
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.
‘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 earlier 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, and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene with around 40 firefighters in total.
The chief of Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service 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 showed locals 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.’
