A schoolgirl died in her bed when her house was engulfed in a flames – the second suspicious fire to hit the family home in under a year.
Layla Allen, 13, was declared dead at the scene of the blaze in Prescot, Merseyside, late on April 2 last year.
She made no attempt to escape the blaze so it appeared ‘likely she was asleep at the time’, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service investigator Ruth Baller-Wilson told an inquest hearing.
Investigators have been unable to pinpoint an exact cause for the disaster but believe a lighter was likely used to set Layla’s bedding alight.
The inquest heard the fire, which Layla’s parents and five siblings survived, was the second fire to engulf the house.
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Six months earlier, another ‘member of the family’ set fire to one of the beds inside with a lighter.
Coroner Anita Bhardwaj recorded an open verdict, saying police ‘cannot rule anything out’.
The parents refused to allow their other children to be interviewed about the incident by the police, who the coroner said have ‘in effect’ been ‘prevented from gathering further evidence’.
Ms Baller-Wilson told the hearing: ‘It’s difficult to determine the exact sequence of events, however the burn pattern suggests this fire ignited on the bunk bed.
‘The fire ignited on the top bunk and developed within the bedding before it spread to the mattress, supported by the oxygen from an open window by the bed.
‘Layla was a fit, healthy 13-year-old; she wasn’t trapped and there was no reason why she wouldn’t have at least been able to get down from the bunk, even if it was on fire. Therefore I believe it’s more likely she was asleep at the time.
‘If Layla did start the fire herself, there would be no reason why she wouldn’t escape the room. It’s possible that her clothes may have ignited, but I still would have expected her to get herself down from the bunk and attempt self-rescue.’
While the investigation was not able to find a definite cause of the fire, it found it was ‘more likely than not that it was a live flame, such as a lighter’.
Ms Bhardwaj said: ‘Police were unable to interview the other children present in the house, and what police have said in effect is that they had been prevented from gathering further evidence, and without statements from all parties present they cannot rule out anything.
‘It’s correct to say that they couldn’t interview the other children because of the damage that it would cause to them.
‘That the family have indicated that interviews would cause too much harm to the children and they would have to relive the incident. This was supported by the children’s social care, and this prevented evidence being gathered.’
The inquest heard the fatal fire was the second blaze at the family home, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Ms Baller-Wilson said: ‘Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service attended the address for a fire which was determined to have been started by a member of the family.
‘That was in one of the bedrooms at the front of the house. It was believed to be [caused by] a lighter. From my colleagues’ investigation and report, that was the most likely source of ignition.
‘It was in the bedroom at the front of the house and involved the mattress and bedding. There was a small amount of spread to the surrounding area. It did cause considerable damage and there was smoke to the front of the house.’
The fire services offered to refer the family to SAFE (Safety Advice and Fire Education), but the investigator said ‘safe interventions were declined’ by Layla’s mum.
She said the cause of that first fire ‘was put down to a child playing with a lighter’.
Ms Bhardwaj told the family she is ‘concerned about the fact that there has been a second fire within such a short period of time’ and glad social services are involved.
‘If there’s any help that’s out there, that can assist you in educating them and yourselves, that needs to be considered,’ she said.
‘I cannot stress enough the importance of you as a family, for the children, to have the input of the fire services to give you guidance and support in keeping the children safe.
‘This is the second fire in similar circumstances within a very, very short period of time involving lighters and this time the sad consequence was Layla’s death.’
Metro has contacted Merseyside Police for comment.
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