A woman and three children have died after an overnight fire ripped through a semi-detached house on Merseyside.
The Merseyside fire and rescue service (MFRS) said crews arrived at the blaze in Bootle at about 3.45am on Tuesday.
Speaking at the scene, the chief fire officer, Nick Searle, said four people inside the house had died and another person, outside the property, had been taken to hospital. He said the fire was “intense” and “spread very rapidly”.
Four people were discovered in an upstairs bedroom showing no signs of life, a fire service spokesperson said. At the fire’s height, six crews were on the scene and eight firefighters entered the house, which was alight when they arrived, they added.
One local person, who did not want to be named, said: “We all came out on the front and we could see smoke coming over from the houses. The sirens woke me up and there were fire engines in the street.”
Another person said: “I heard shouting in the early hours but I just thought someone was having an argument, then I came downstairs and saw all the fire engines.”
At the scene, Searle said: “Firstly, our thoughts are with everyone who’s been affected by the tragic incident this morning.”
He said the MFRS control room received a 999 call at 3.38am and crews from surrounding stations were mobilised, with the first fire engine arriving at 3.45am to find the house “well alight”.
“Crews who were wearing breathing apparatus entered the building to search the property for occupants and fighting intense fire, which had spread very rapidly.”
Other crews found a casualty outside the property, and he was taken into the care of North West ambulance service and transferred to hospital,” Searle said.
“During the course of the search of the property, firefighters discovered four casualties, showing no signs of life, and it’s now been confirmed that all four have tragically lost their lives.”
He said MFRS and Merseyside police would carry out a full joint investigation into the cause of the fire. “Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of those lost, and fire crews will maintain a visible and reassuring presence in the community over the coming days.”
The MFRS 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.”
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