East Ham: Third child dies after house fire

A third child has died following a fire at a house in east London, the Metropolitan Police have said.

The fire broke out on the ground and first floors of a terraced house on Napier Road in East Ham shortly before 08:30 BST on Saturday.

A child was confirmed dead at the scene of the fire on Saturday morning while a second died later that night.

Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz added: “Three children from one family have now died and there are really no words to express the shock and horror we are as a community at what a house fire can do.”

The six people, presumably members of the same family, lived in the house and were inside at the time of the incident.

Two other people remain in hospital while a third has been released and is receiving treatment as an outpatient, the Metropolitan Police said.

Police added that there was no evidence of suspicious circumstances.

A joint investigation by the police and London Fire Brigade (LFB) is underway to determine the cause of the fire.

Half of the first floor and ground floor of a terraced house were damaged and the fire was under control shortly after 9am, firefighters added.

Patrick Goulbourne, LFB Assistant Commissioner, said: “This is a terribly sad incident and the thoughts of all of us at London Fire Brigade are with the family, friends and all those affected at this difficult time.”

In a statement released Monday evening, Ms Fiaz added that “the family was part of a close-knit community that is now in mourning.”

Cheerag Jetha told BBC London on Monday that he had lived next door to the family for 10 years and that they were “really good neighbours” and a “really nice family”.

“Around 8:25 a.m., I noticed smoke coming through my window,” he said.

“I looked outside – I could smell smoke… smoke coming from my neighbour’s back garden, maybe from the veranda.”

Mr Jetha added: “They got along well with everyone. It’s so sad to see what happened.”

“It all happened so quickly in the morning, the fire spread in two to three minutes.”

He said the children were “quiet” but “occasionally played with the neighborhood children.”

“It’s really sad to see children die in this way, in these circumstances,” he continued.

Other neighbours have previously described how they threw bricks to break windows to help the family escape.

Rida Nawaz said she had “seen it all” and had done her best to help.

“We just wanted to save them and we couldn’t,” she said through tears.

Ms Nawaz said she had known one of the women in the house for four years and often spent time with her and her family at dinners and parties.

“She is a very powerful woman, she is like a heroine to our children, even to the father,” she explained.

She said the children always seemed in “good spirits” and would say hello to her.

“She is, I think, the best mother in the world,” she added.