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Derbyshire house fire: four victims named Derbyshire house fire: four victims named
(about 4 hours later)
Four people killed in a house fire in North Wingfield, near Chesterfield, have been named by Derbyshire police as Claire James, 27, Josie Leighton, 32, Tyler Green, nine, and Jordan Green, 12. Two women and two young boys died in a house fire on Wednesday in North Wingfield, near Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
A third child is being treated in hospital for minor injuries after the fire early on Wednesday morning. Claire James, 27 and Josie Leighton, 32, were pronounced dead at the scene of the blaze at Williamthorpe Road, North Wingfield, while Tyler Green, nine, and Jordan Green, 12, were later pronounced dead at Chesterfield and District Royal hospital.
A Derbyshire police spokesman said officers were conducting a joint inquiry with the fire service into the cause of the blaze, which was reported to the emergency services at 5am. A seven-year-old girl who was taken to hospital suffering from minor smoke inhalation has been discharged.
A police spokesman said: "Two adults and two children have died as a result of the fire. Derbyshire police said officers and fire service experts were still attempting to establish the cause of the fatal fire.
"Williamthorpe Road will be closed for several hours and local diversions are in operation." Police said specially trained officers were giving support family to members and neighbourhood policing officers were speaking to neighbours and offering support and reassurance.
Anyone with information that could assist the inquiry into the fire is asked to contact Derbyshire constabulary on 101. Ch Insp Rick Gooch said fire crews – who were alerted by a neighbour at about 5am – found the surviving girl suffering from the effects of smoke in the back garden of the property.
Derbyshire fire and rescue service said it was alerted to the fire at 4.58am. The officer declined to say whether the fire was thought to have been started deliberately and said it would be wrong to speculate about the cause while it was still under investigation.
Firefighters from Clay Cross, Chesterfield and Staveley attended the blaze, with the first arriving at the scene eight minutes after the emergency call was received. He said: "We are now investigating the cause of the fire alongside our colleagues in the fire service and we are at the very early stages of the investigation.
A fire service spokesman said: "A joint fire investigation is currently under way in conjunction with Derbyshire police and further details will be released in due course." "It is a tragic event. The impact on the community is obviously recognised and together we are working through that with the family."
Derbyshire fire and rescue service area manager Kam Basi said: "Our firefighters battled quite arduous conditions within the premises, which was heavily smoke-logged. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families concerned."
Basi refused to comment in any detail on the possible cause of the blaze. "We are working alongside the police and we are looking at the cause of the fire," he said. "It is far too early at this time to say what that the cause of fire was."
Nearby residents described their shock at the deaths on a road normally busy with traffic passing between Clay Cross and the M1 motorway.
A woman who lives across the road from the victims said: "I don't think they have been living there long. My husband took the dog out at a quarter past five and came straight back in after seeing the fire engines. At first we didn't know what had happened."
Richard Markham-Smith, 44, who also lives in Williamthorpe Road, said: "I was woken at about 6am because it was so quiet - this is normally a very busy road and I thought something was amiss.
"I saw three police cars at first, then a police van and the fire engines and I thought something really serious must have happened. It's shocking really and your first thoughts are always with the family involved."
The fire service was alerted at 4.58am and appliances from Clay Cross, Chesterfield and Staveley attended, with the first crew arriving eight minutes after the first 999 call.
Postmortem examinations will be carried out on Thursdaytoday, police said.
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