Tributes paid to six siblings killed in Derby house fire

Duwayne, Jade, John, Jack, Jesse and Jayden Philpott. Credit: Handout

Tributes have been paid to five brothers and their sister who died in a fire at their family home in Derby in May last year.

The children were all sleeping in the upstairs bedrooms of the house in Victory Road when the fire broke out on the ground floor.

Jade Philpott and her brothers John, Jack, Jesse and Jayden all perished in the fire. The eldest brother, Duwayne, died two days later at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

ITV News correspondent Nina Nannar reports:

Father Alan Burbidge, who was the family priest, said the children always looked out for one another.

Duwayne, 13

Duwayne was the eldest of the family and was described in his tribute as a "charming and caring young boy".

At school, he had a reputation as a charmer and a bit of a ladies' man.

Passionate about football both on and off the pitch, he was always keen to talk about his beloved Derby County Football Club.

One of his teachers remembered how he always liked to chat and would converse with teachers at the school in a way that befitted someone much older.

Jade, 10

Jade

Jade was the princess of the family, and she appears in some of the photographs dressed as such.

Her teachers said she was a creative character and that she was able to boost the morale of her fellow students.

She played mother hen to her younger siblings and was looking forward to moving up to "big school" to join her brother Duwayne.

John, 9

John

Anyone could tell from John's cheeky smile that he was the comedian of the family.

His daredevil personality and closeness in age to brother Duwayne meant that the pair were always competing in the rough and tumble of everyday life.

He had dreams of being a soldier in the Army one day.

Jack, 8

Jack

Jack was known as the "blue-eyed baby boy" and was a "real pretty boy," his relatives said.

He was quieter than all of his brothers and sisters and was passionate about computers at the tender age of eight.

Jesse, 6

Jesse

Jesse was the "Irish stomper" because he was loud and fearless, and always stomped around the house.

Always cheerful but with a mischievous streak, Jesse loved to snuggle up with brothers and watch films.

Jadyen, 5

Jayden

Jayden was always described as the "miracle baby" because he was born six weeks premature.

He grew up to be a "bouncy and hyper-active" child who was always affectionate and liked to be cuddled.