Four people, believed to be a woman and three children, have died following a house fire in Bootle. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the deaths on Tuesday after crews were called to a semi-detached property on Stone Square in the Sefton town at around 3.45am.
Firefighters discover four casualties
Emergency services arrived to reports that the house was "well alight". Crews from six fire engines attended, and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property to tackle the blaze.
A fire service spokesperson said: "A casualty outside the house on arrival of fire crews was taken into the care of North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and taken to hospital suffering from burns."
"During the course of their search, firefighters discovered four casualties in an upstairs bedroom, showing no signs of life. Two members of NWAS's hazardous area response team (HART) were subsequently committed into the incident and tragically confirmed that all four had lost their lives."
Chief fire officer describes intense fire
Speaking at a press conference at the scene, Chief Fire Officer Nick Searle described it as an "intense fire which spread very rapidly". The ECHO understands those killed are a woman and three children. Their next of kin have been informed, but formal identification has yet to take place.
The fire service and Merseyside Police are carrying out a joint investigation to establish the cause of the fire.
Fire service area manager Kevin Longshaw said: "This is a devastating incident, and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of those who have lost their lives and been injured."
"We will work closely with relevant colleagues to ascertain the cause of the fire, but in the immediate term, we again extend our sincere condolences to those affected by this tragic incident."
Community gathers in support
Neighbours on Marsh Avenue and King Avenue gathered on the street in support as they shared tributes and accounts of what they had seen while emergency services responded. One resident burst into tears when she was told what happened.
A woman at the scene said she woke to the sounds of screaming. She added: "I heard a commotion and went outside. I heard screaming, the lady was shouting." Another neighbour said he was woken by his daughter before running to the scene with his step ladder in a bid to help.
Another neighbour said the male casualty of the fire, who was taken to hospital, desperately broke windows in attempts to rescue the occupants. He was beaten back by the flames and suffered serious burns.
A mobile Merseyside Police station has been deployed to the scene to provide reassurance and support to the community. Neighbours have started to leave floral tributes at the edge of the police cordon in memory of the family.
