FRECKLETON, England – A teenager and three young children were killed in a house fire from which their mother was rescued.
Michelle Smith was led out of the property by firefighters after the blaze took hold at her home in Freckleton, about 230 miles northwest of London, following birthday celebrations Saturday night.
Four of her children were also rescued and taken to Preston Royal Infirmary but doctors were unable to save their lives, Sky News reported.
They were named by their grandfather as Reece, 19, four-year-old twins Holly and Ella Smith, and two-year-old Jordan. It was thought that Reece died battling the flames in a bid to reach his siblings, The (London) Daily Telegraph reported.
Their mother, who has five other children, had celebrated her 36th birthday on Saturday. Police are trying to track down people who attended a party at the home but left before officers arrived.
Smith's father, Keith, 56, said Sunday that his daughter was now staying with relatives in the area.
A joint police and fire investigation was underway into the cause of the blaze, Sky News reported.
Phil Cox, group manager for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, said officers were called to the house at 11.21pm local time.
As crews headed to the property, they received calls saying people were trapped inside, including a number of small children.
"As soon as the crews arrived it seemed quite a chaotic scene with a lot of people outside quite distressed," he said.
"We sent in six firefighters who rescued four people and also led out one other person. We had police officers, fire officers and paramedics at the scene working on resuscitating the people brought out before they were taken to hospital."
