A HERO neighbour charged into a burning home to try and rescue a four-year-old girl before the ceiling “collapsed”.
The child sadly died after the horror house fire in Lynemouth, Northumberland, on Monday evening, with her mum and sister, aged two, managing to escape.
A cordon in place outside the house on Kingsley Road in Lynemouth, NorthumberlandNNP
The mum, in her 20s, and girl, aged two, are in a stable conditionNNP
Tributes have been left outside the propertyNNP
The pair remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Police and fire crews responded to calls from the scene on Kingsley Road at around 9.30pm, and a cordon was put in place.
Tributes, including balloons and candles, have since been left outside the semi-detached property.
‘IT WAS TERRIFYING’
Neighbour Karen Coulson said her partner Steve bravely tried to battle through the blaze and used a garden hose to douse the flames and try save the child from the kitchen.
She told The Sun: “My daughter came to visit. She lives up the road. As she was getting further down she smelled burning but she didn’t know where it was coming from.
“She came in the house and yelled ‘Dad, there’s a fire’.
“He came running out and tried to get into the sitting room on his hands and knees but he couldn’t go any further because of the heat.
“The ceiling was coming down on him so he had to get out.
“He spoke to the young woman and said ‘where’s your other child’.
“She told him she was in the kitchen. Then he got the garden hose and tried to hose down the kitchen until the fire brigade arrived 10 minutes later.
“It was terrifying.”
The child’s mother, understood to be in her 20s, and who escaped with her youngest daughter, was “screaming” after being moved away from the blaze.
The kitchen was ablaze but then out of nowhere it spread so fast. If the kitchen door had been open then I think my husband would have fought the flames to get her.
Karen Coulson
Mrs Coulson, 58, added: “It was heartbreaking knowing that child was in there but we just couldn’t get in.
“It’s just so tragic and it happened so fast. The kitchen was ablaze but then out of nowhere it spread so fast.
“If the kitchen door had been open then I think my husband would have fought the flames to get her.
“I’m just so pleased the mother got one of her children out but you can’t imagine what she’s going through.
“We tried to comfort her until the ambulance came. She was in a bad way. She was screaming and hysterical.”
Floral tributes to the young girl were left outside the smoke-scarred terraced house.
One read: “Taken so young. Go play with the balloons in the sky. The village is devastated.”
Another wrote: “Sleep tight little angel. Taken far too soon. You are in all our thoughts.”
Locals in Lynemouth are donating clothes, cash, toys and Easter eggs to support the two year old who survived the blaze.
The youngster remains in hospital along with her mother.
A neighbour, who gave her name only as Elizabeth, said: “I could smell smoke but I thought it was log burner.
“When I walked past I could see the windows were red, and I screamed for help.
“My dad tried his God damn best to get in there but the heat was too much.”
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Jenkins said: “This is an absolutely devastating incident in which a young girl has tragically lost her life.
“All of our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.
“Enquiries remain at a very early stage, and with the support of our partners from Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service we are determined to establish exactly what happened.
“We are asking anyone with information – no matter how small or insignificant it may seem – to come forward and share what they know.”
A spokesperson for Northumberland Fire and Rescue said: “We were called to a report of a house fire in Kingsley Road, Lynemouth at 9.16pm last night.
“Three fire appliances attended and the fire was extinguished a short time later. Enquiries are continuing alongside Northumbria Police.”
Police have urged anyone with information to get in touch via social media, live chat, or the report forms on their website.
Alternatively, people can call 101, quoting reference NP-20250317-1107.
The fire is continuing to be investigatedNNP
Balloons, candles and floral tributes at the sceneNNP Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
