Book Mark: ‘I couldn't save baby from flames’

I posted up this story a few days back. This is the town where I was born. Our thought are with the family

A BRAVE neighbour has spoken of his upset after his bid to try and rescue a baby from a house fire was defeated by the intensity of the heat and flames.

Ian Woolley, who lives just three doors down from the scene of the tragedy, on Turner Street, Lees, said: "It’s just so devastating that I couldn’t find the baby."
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Eight-month-old Sean Maguire died when flames swept through an upstairs bedroom at his terrace home at about 6pm on Easter Sunday. The infant suffered from serious burns and was declared dead at the scene.

Seven others, including children, were in the building at the time of the fire. A 15-year-old girl jumped from the back bedroom window and broke an ankle in the fall.

Sean’s mum Emma, 25, was rescued from the same back window by another neighbour who got a ladder. Emma is understood to have later broken the news of Sean’s death to the baby’s father.

A family friend, who asked not to be named, said: "Sean was such a beautiful little boy who was known to everyone as Seany-boy. The family are devastated by what has happened and Emma has been to break the news to Sean’s father."

Mr Woolley told the Advertiser’s partner TV station Channel M how he ran into the house and tried to rescue the baby after spotting smoke as he sat in his living room three doors away.

He said: "I got up to the main bedroom where the baby was, but I was on my hands and knees and couldn’t see him. I could hear him crying but I couldn’t see where the crying was coming from. I couldn’t see anything and it was too dark.

"I could actually hear the flames and in the bedroom heard the baby crying, but I didn’t know where he was because it was too hot and too dark with smoke. I could see the flames, the floor was on fire as well."

Ian said he had no choice but to go back down the stairs, while his girlfriend had phoned the fire brigade. They arrived as he left the house.

Rod Hawker, 63, whose home is behind the property said: "I helped another neighbour get the mother down and she told us the baby was still upstairs. We ran round to the front of the house but then the front bedroom window exploded and flames came rushing out.

"The upstairs looked like an inferno and by that time the firefighters had gone in."

Neighbour Dorothy Overton whose bungalow is about 12 doors down said: "It was horrible – tragic. I saw flames coming from the bedroom window. The mother was hysterical because her baby was in the bedroom."

A fire service spokesman said: "There was a lot of commotion in the street, but we were informed immediately that there was a child still inside.

"We were given specific information about where the baby was, and fire-fighters wearing breathing kits went straight into the house.

"There were flames coming from the upstairs bedroom window when we arrived. It appears that the fire took a good hold quite quickly, but we did everything we could as fast as we could. It was a tragedy."

The fire service and police have launched an inquiry into the cause of the blaze. It is understand they are considering whether it could have been started by children playing with lighters.

Paul Argyle, the fire service’s borough commander for Oldham, confirmed that a 29-year-old firefighter had been treated in the Royal Oldham Hospital for burns to his shoulder, suffered while he was tackling the blaze.

He added: "The crew were faced with a severe fire on arrival, but they tried to get into the room where the baby was.

"I understand that neighbours had tried to help but had been forced back by the intense heat.

"A joint investigation is now under way with the police, to discover the cause of the blaze."

Floral tributes, teddy bears and a racing car have been left near the house by friends and relatives.

Around 50 houses on the street were still cordoned off at the start of the week and fire fighters visiting neighbouring properties offering safety advice and free alarm installation. A post-mortem on the child took place on Tuesday.