Police investigate four child deaths at house fire

Emergency servives were called to the fire in Hulland Ward, near Asbourne, Derbyshire at 11.30pm last night.

They found the house ablaze and managed to rescue one girl, aged two, and a nine-year-old boy, but they did not survive. Two other children, a girl aged six and a boy, four, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The mother, a 45-year-old woman named by locals as Rachel Henson, survived the blaze and was taken to the Royal Derby Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. Police have said the mother is conscious and that specialist officers are in attendance with her.

'Rachel lived for her little ones'

Channel 4 News Midlands correspondent Darshna Soni writes from the scene of the fire:

There are still two long ladders propped up against the bedroom window. The glass is shattered and you can see a charred, black bedframe inside. What horrors must the mother who lived here have gone through last night, as she tried to save her children?

Some of the children’s toys are set up on the grass in the back garden. A brightly coloured slide and see-saw, where the children used to play.

I've been interviewing friends and neighbours and they are all deeply upset. This is a small village, surrounded by green hills and fields of sheep. Many people here knew the mother, named locally as Rachel Henson.

The landlady of the local pub told me Ms Henson ran her own business. "She had her own hairdressers and worked really hard to build it up. But it was all for her children, Rachel lived for her little ones."

The fire started at around 11 o clock last night. Some of Ms Henson's neighbours ran to help, but the front door was locked and they couldn't break in. "It was just awful," said one man. "I'll never forget what happened here."

A police spokesman said that there was significant damage to the house, but the cause was as yet unknown. He said there was no timescale on the investigation due to the damage on the property and “the severity of the fire”.

Four fire engines arrived at the blaze and the fire service said that “the fire was well developed on arrival.”

A 63-year-old neighbour, Brian Sellers, spoke of the blaze and the sadness at hearing the news:

“I was on a late shift last night and had just gone to bed when I heard people talking in the street. When I got to my window to see what was happening, smoke was coming out of their house.

“By the time the fire service arrived, the blaze was well on its way and I don’t think they had much chance.

“It’s a shock for everyone here.”

Police refused to confirm or deny whether they were treating the fire as suspicious.