Sutton house fire: Woman arrested after two sets of twin boys die in blaze
Twenty-seven-year-old held on suspicion of child neglect after ‘happy and bubbly’ boys aged three and four killed in south London
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
A woman has been arrested after two sets of twin brothers, aged three and four, died in a house fire in Sutton, south London.
The 27-year-old woman was held on suspicion of child neglect, the Metropolitan Police said. The cause of the blaze is being investigated.
Some 60 firefighters and eight fire engines attended the fire at a terraced house in Collingwood Road at around 6.55pm on Thursday.
Firefighters in breathing apparatus entered the property and were said to have been faced with an intense blaze throughout the whole ground floor, before bringing out four young children, who were all brothers.
They were given CPR by firefighters at the scene, who continued to administer treatment until London Ambulance Service crews arrived.
All four children were taken to hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
The London Fire Brigade later confirmed that the boys, found alone in the property when crews entered to tackle the blaze, were two sets of male twins.
The boys, named locally as Kyson, Bryson, Leyton and Logan, all attended nearby Westbourne Primary School, which said it was “devastated” at the news of the deaths.
“Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the family and anyone else affected by this heartbreaking event,” a spokesperson said.
“We will continue to support the children, the staff, the families and the community through these very difficult times.”
The boys, described by locals as “happy”, “bubbly” and “very clever”, are said to have attended school as normal on Thursday before their deaths.
A neighbour, who gave her name only as Lauren, told The Independent: “I grew up on the same street where the boys lived and my kid went to their school. The boys were always happy, always bubbly, they used to play in the playground right around the corner. The fire has shocked everyone.”
The 22-year-old, who was laying flowers at a makeshift memorial close to the scene of the fire, said: “I’ve come down today to pay my respects and put some flowers down. It’s just awful.”
Mourners left bouquets and toys at the scene of the tragedy. On one bunch of flowers, a note said: “To Kyson, Bryson, Leyton and Logan. Sleep well, granddad.”
Sabapathy Tharmratnam, 64, who runs a local newsagent, said: “They would come into my shop very often, always the four boys with their mother. It was a very nice family, they were very clever boys, and they were always talking to everybody, really good boys. They would play in the park opposite, they always seemed happy. I keep thinking, now I won't see them in here anymore.”
Deputy fire commissioner Richard Mills said when firefighters arrived at the house in Sutton, the blaze was “very well-developed” and only the children were inside.
He told reporters at the scene: “I can confirm that they are two sets of twins, ages four and ages three.” Asked if anyone else was in the home, he said: “On arrival there were four children in the house.”
Narun Fahmida, 46, who lives several houses down the same street, said she was first aware of the fire yesterday evening at around 7.20pm when she heard and then saw fire engines and ambulances outside blocking the road.
“I looked out of my window and could see lots of smoke,” she told The Independent. “I asked the emergency crews what was happening, they said there was a fire in the house, they said something bad had happened. Then we saw people being taken away in an ambulance but I’m not sure who they were.”
Mr Hills said the fire had been “very traumatic event” for the brigade’s crews.
“Entering a building and rescuing life is always a very difficult place to be. The age of the children, the fact they are so young will have a profound impact on them,” he said.
Forensics officers wearing blue plastic overalls were seen going in and out of the house on Friday afternoon.
Superintendent Rob Shepherd said on Thursday: “The thoughts of everyone at the South Area Command Unit are with the family and friends of these four young children, who have suffered such a devastating and tragic loss.
“I know these sentiments will be shared by the local community, Sutton and London as a whole.
“We remain on scene with our emergency service colleagues and will be working through the night and beyond. At this very early stage the cause of the fire is unknown and will be investigated.”