Girl, 13, dies in tragic fire near Liverpool as floral tributes left by house

A teenage girl has died following a house fire near Liverpool. The blaze broke out just before midnight on Wednesday, April 2 in a terraced house on Kingsway, Prescot, prompting an immediate response from firefighters.

The unfortunate event has deeply affected the local community, with large crowds gathering today (Thursday, April 3) to pay their respects. Numerous floral tributes, teddy bears, Disney characters and dolls have been left in honour of the young victim.

Among the heartfelt messages left for 'Layla', one mourner wrote: "I will forever miss you Layla, fly high my beautiful friend. Love you forever. Thank you for being you."

Merseyside Police released a statement confirming a joint investigation with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) into the fatal fire. According to the statement, "MFRS Fire Control received a 999 call at 11.42pm last night, Wednesday 2 April, with three fire engines arriving shortly after. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a fire in the first-floor rear bedroom of a mid-terraced house."

The statement further detailed that "Four firefighters were committed in breathing apparatus (BA) to extinguish the fire and search for occupants. A man, woman and five children managed to escape from the property unharmed.", reports the Liverpool Echo.

Tragically, a 13 year old girl was pronounced dead at the scene of a house fire. Authorities have confirmed that her family has been notified and are receiving support from specially trained officers.

The blaze was successfully extinguished at 12.29am on Thursday, April 3, followed by natural ventilation and isolation of utilities to the affected property.

A neighbour, visibly shaken by the incident, spoke to The ECHO, recounting the harrowing experience: "We woke up at about 11.43pm to shouts and screams. I saw huge flames coming from the house at the back. Because of the dogs I couldn't walk out. It's so sad. It's even more sad because they had the same situation in July. They moved back recently after they renovated the whole house."

Describing the impact on the community, the neighbour added: "The whole situation is just crazy. It's normally quite quiet down here and we have lots of children on the street. It's just terrible. People have been coming all day to leave flowers."

Another local resident shared her distressing night, saying: "I had to get my kids out the house early this morning. It was a whirlwind of a night. At first someone said it was my house so I had to get my two children out on my own. My parents live at the back and they rang me saying: you need to get out your house is on fire. When we got outside we realised it was them. I've got kids and it's just the scariest thought in the world losing a child."

She continued, expressing the community's grief: "We've had police outside all day. All her friends have been laying flowers all day, the whole school's been. We've put some down ourselves. No one deserves to lose a child."

A neighbour recounted the harrowing scene, saying: "I live round the back of the house. Last night I saw blue lights going and just assumed it was the police, and then I saw the fire engine. I could just see the flames at the back of the house. I never expected the little girl to die."

They added, sharing a personal connection to the tragedy: "My granddaughter was friends with her, she used to play with the kids outside the house. She's heartbroken. There was a man shouting, 'jump, I'll get you' outside the window."

Merseyside Police confirmed that checks were made on neighbouring properties for any spread of fire and smoke, and the affected property was thoroughly examined for additional hotspots while fire crews kept an eye on temperatures in various parts of the building. The police maintained their presence to oversee the cordon, with firefighters wrapping up their on-site work at 2.20am.

The investigation into the devastating fire is being carried out jointly by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's Incident Investigation Team and Merseyside Police. Efforts have included house-to-house inquiries and reviewing CCTV footage from the vicinity.

Detective Inspector Steven O'Neill expressed his condolences, stating: "Our thoughts are with the family of the young girl at this very sad time. A joint investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing and the girl's family is being supported by specially trained officers."

In response to the incident, firefighters and MFRS prevention staff will be engaging with the community, offering essential fire safety guidance and conducting home fire safety checks as part of a reassurance initiative in the following days.