Two children, aged three and seven, dead after house fire in St Neots
Two young children have died in a house fire in Cambridgeshire.
Emergency services, including seven fire crews from Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire and the East Anglian Air Ambulance, were called to a three-story house on Buttercup Avenue in the Eynesbury area of St Neots on Thursday around 7am.
A three-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl died at the scene.
Their 35-year-old mother has been taken to hospital with life-changing injuries after jumping from a window, while her 46-year-old partner suffered minor injuries.
The fire is not being treated as suspicious.
An investigation between the fire and police service has found the most likely cause of the fire was "an electrical fault in a first-floor bedroom at the property."
Police were keen to highlight that it was not caused by Christmas decorations or lights.
“This is such a devastating incident and our thoughts remain with the family", Chief Fire Officer, Chris Strickland, said.
“Crews fought tirelessly to get the fire under control and locate the children who they had been told were still in the house.
“It’s one of the toughest incidents you can attend as a firefighter and we’re looking after the crews who were there.
"But all of our thoughts are very much with the family and the local community and we’ll be in the area over the coming days providing support to residents.”
A fundraising page has been set up by Gemma Phillips to help the family involved.
"Having only recently been impacted by the devastation caused by the fire of my Aunt’s home, my heart completely goes out to this family", she said.
"I can only imagine the suffering they are going through.
"Let’s show them we care by donating to help them through the immeasurable trauma they must be experiencing."