Tragic schoolgirl, 13, died after her mattress was ‘set on fireplace with a lighter’
The tragic death of a 13-year-old girl in her bunk bed was likely caused by a child with a lighter, although police were prevented from gathering the evidence to find out who
A blaze that killed a 13-year-old girl in Liverpool was likely started by another child with a lighter, according to the coroner(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Just six months after firefighters rushed to a fire at a home in Liverpool, a fatal blaze broke out in eerily similar circumstances, prompting a coroner to suggest, despite “unanswered questions”, that a 13-year-old girl died after another child set her bunk bed on fire.
“Police were unable to interview the other children present in the house… and without statements from all parties present they cannot rule out anything,” Anita Bhardwaj said today (January 16).
But the coroner told the court that the investigation into Layla Allen’s death found “it more likely than not the fire was caused with a lighter by one of the children”.
Layla Allen, a Year 8 pupil at St Edmund Arrowsmith School in Whiston, was killed when the blaze broke out at her Prescot home on the night of April 2 last year.
Fire crews were called to the family home on Kingsway, Prescot, at around 11.40pm. They arrived to find Layla’s parents, Shaun Allen and Michelle McGurry, outside with her five siblings.
Firefighters entered and found the 13-year-old lying on the top bunk of a bunk bed in her bedroom at the rear of the house on the first floor. Her condition was said to be “not compatible with life” and she was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
“Police were unable to interview the other children present in the house… and without statements from all parties present they cannot rule out anything,” said coroner Anita Bhardwaj.
Police couldn’t interview the kids because of the damage it would cause them. But Merseyside Police found no evidence that any third party was involved.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service investigation officer Ruth Baller-Wilson said: “It’s difficult to determine the exact sequence of events. However, the burn pattern suggests this fire ignited on the bunk bed.”
She said an investigation had ruled out all potential sources “with the exception of a naked flame” such as a lighter. Two disposable lighters, which Layla’s parents said did not belong to them, were found inside the property.
Ms Baller-Wilson said Layla was most likely asleep when the fire broke out, as she was found lying on her back in bed. “Layla was a fit, healthy 13-year-old,” she said. “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.”
A post-mortem examination found levels of carbon monoxide, caused by the fire, in Layla’s lungs. Her cause of death was found to be “effects of fire”.
The tragic blaze came just six months after fire services were called to the home over an earlier fire. Ms Baller-Wilson said this initial fire “was put down to a child playing with a lighter”.
“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,” she said. “It was in the bedroom at the front of the house and involved the mattress and bedding.”
The fire services visited the family for a risk assessment and offered to refer the family to SAFE (Safety Advice and Fire Education), an educational program for children and young people. But Ms Baller-Wilson said “safe interventions were declined” by Ms McGarry.
Handing down an open conclusion, Ms Bhardwaj said: “No cause of fire was found within the area and so the direct cause cannot be absolutely determined… The investigation found it more likely than not the fire was caused with a lighter by one of the children.”
She told Layla’s parents: “I cannot be strong enough in my feelings that you need the input of the fire service, whether that’s to educate your children or yourselves…
“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.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
