A 13-year-old girl has died in a house fire at her home in Prescot, just months after the same property was damaged in a previous blaze. Layla Allen was found on the top bunk of her bed after firefighters forced their way into the burning house on Kingsway on the night of April 2 last year.
An inquest into her death heard that the fire was most likely ignited on her bed, possibly by someone in the family playing with a lighter. Two disposable lighters, which Layla's parents said did not belong to them, were found in the home. The family had refused a referral to an educational programme about the dangers of playing with fire.
The inquest also revealed that the family had been forced to evacuate the same terraced home during a previous fire. A GoFundMe page set up after that incident stated that the family had lost everything but their lives.
Emergency services arrived at the scene at about 11.40pm and found Layla's parents and five siblings outside, but Layla was trapped inside. Firefighters found her on the top bunk, and she was declared dead at the scene. The coroner said she was likely asleep when the fire started.
Police were unable to interview the other children present, as social services supported the family's view that interviews would cause too much harm. The lead fire investigator said the burn pattern suggested the fire ignited on the top bunk and spread with oxygen from an open window.
Tributes, including Disney characters and teddy bears, were left in memory of the Year 8 pupil from St Edmund Arrowsmith School in Whiston. The coroner recorded that the cause of the fire could not be fully determined due to the lack of evidence from the other children.
