Grimoldby takeaway tragedy as dad and daughter, 11, killed in air fryer hearth
Yu Li, 45 and his 11-year-old daughter, Sophie were killed after a fire broke out at Golden Phoenix Chinese takeaway fire in Grimoldby, Lincolnshire – his wife remains in intensive care
A village community has been left devastated and heartbroken after two people died in a fire near Louth.
The emergency services were called to the Golden Phoenix Chinese Takeaway on Manby Middlegate, Grimoldby, shortly after 6am on Wednesday, February 18.
The family of a “good, hardworking” man and his daughter who perished in a takeaway blaze have paid heartfelt tribute to them.
Emergency services rushed to a fire at the Golden Phoenix Chinese Takeaway on Manby Middlegate, Grimoldby, on Wednesday, February 18. Numerous fire crews, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Lincolnshire Police and an air ambulance attended the scene.
Despite their best efforts, two people lost their lives as a result of the incident and were identified locally as 45-year-old father Yu Li and his 11-year-old daughter Sophie. A woman in her thirties, believed to be Mr Li’s wife, was also rushed to hospital, and remains in a serious condition, reports Lincolnshire Live.
Two men in their 40s and two children under 10, who had also been taken to hospital, have since been discharged. The two children are believed to be Mr Li’s nine-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter.
Tributes have flooded in for the Li family and fundraisers have been established to provide support. Family friend William Wong has now released a statement on behalf of the Li family.
He said: “It is an absolute tragedy what has happened to a good, hardworking man. A fire which took away his hard work, his dream, his daughter and his life.
“And it is heartbreaking to learn that his wife is still in intensive care, his nine-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter are in the care of a relative, they are safe and okay.
“As a long time friend of the family, the family and I have found some comfort from the kind and supportive community, and the public in Grimoldby and North Thoresby.
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“On behalf of Li’s family, I would like to say thank you for your kindness.
“A special thanks to the passers-by, who bravely went into the fire engulfed property to help and rescue the two younger children.
“From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the family, I can’t thank you enough.”
A probe by Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue confirmed that the blaze was accidental and sparked by an air fryer.
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