An 18-month-old child died today in a blaze at a south Essex flat.
The girl, named by neighbours as Analise, died after flames swept through the council flat in Cranell Green, off Stifford Road, South Ockendon.
Firefighters were called just after 7.20am following a series of 999 calls, and officers called paramedics to help try and save the girl's life.
But despite attempts at resuscitation, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbours told of hearing screams as smoke billowed from the flat around breakfast time.
They understood the fire was started in the child's bedroom by her brother Harry, aged three, possibly playing with matches or a lighter. Her mum Heidi was shouting for help and saying Harry had started a fire in the girl's room.
Neighbour Donna Halliwell, 26, and a mother of four, said:. "I woke up to hear the mum Heidi screaming, and took Harry from her and into my flat. The mother was screaming about how Harry had started a fire in Anlaise's bedroom."
A full investigation into the cause of the blaze was being undertaken by police and fire officers, who could not immediately confirm that the fire had been started accidentally by the toddler's brother.
Published Thursday, July 31, 2003
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