Tributes left at scene of house fire in Lancashire after two children die

Tributes have been left at the scene of a house fire in Lancashire after two children died.

One neighbour said the mother of the three-year-old girl and five-year-old boy called for her children after being rescued from the blaze in Preston on Friday evening.

Lancashire Police said the children, who were brought from the terraced house along with their mother, died on Tuesday after medical intervention was withdrawn.

On Wednesday, flowers and toys, including a doll and a cuddly dog, had been left outside the house on Coronation Crescent, which had boarded up windows and smoke damage.

A Frenchwood Community Primary School T-shirt was left by one of the children’s friends with “To Louis, I will miss you” and a red heart drawn on it.

A message on one of the bouquets said “Fly high little ones” and another read “Good night, God bless to you both”.

A neighbour called Nikki, who did not want to give her second name, said she had seen the blaze from the back of her home on Friday and ran round with blankets.

She said: “I put the blankets on the mum, she was obviously upset.

“She was conscious all the way through and she just kept on saying ‘my children, my children’.

“I saw people run past me and put the girl in an ambulance.

“It is just really sad.”

Neighbours said the family had lived in the house for 18 months to two years and “kept themselves to themselves”.

Patrick Ratcliffe, 59, said: “It’s a quiet street.

“It was a big shock today to find out they had died. I have been checking for news every day since it happened.

“For that to happen, it’s frightening.”

A joint investigation between police and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service is underway to determine the cause of the fire and a file will be passed to the coroner.

A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life but has since been released with no further action, police said.

Detective chief inspector Rach Higson said: “This tragic incident has resulted in two children sadly losing their lives and my thoughts, first and foremost, are with their loved ones at this time.

“Our inquiries into the cause of the fire are continuing.”

Anybody with information is asked to get in touch on 101, quoting log 1305 of April 8.