Village in mourning as blaze kills four children

The youngsters – two boys, aged nine and four, and two girls, six and two – were sleeping as the fire broke out and then engulfed the house.

Neighbours struggled to get into the property in Hulland Ward, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire, to rescue the children but could not force their way through the locked front door as the blaze, which broke out on the ground floor, raged inside.

The children’s mother, named locally as 45-year-old Rachel Henson, escaped and then tried to vain to return to the house to save them. She was in hospital last night, being treated for smoke inhalation.

Two of the children – the nine-year-old boy and two-year-old girl – were carried out of the house by firefighters but they died in hospital. The bodies of the two others were later found inside the semi-detached house in Highfield Road. It took 20 firefighters to bring the blaze under control.

Friends of Ms Henson paid tribute to the family yesterday as Derbyshire’s police force and fire brigade began a joint investigation into the blaze, which broke out at about 11.30pm on Monday.

The cause of the fire remains unknown and the road was yesterday cordoned off as forensic officers gathered evidence.

Ms Henson ran a barber’s shop, Boyz, in Ashbourne town centre.

Her friend Vivyan Manion, who runs an antiques store next door, said she was a “trendy mum” who made time for her children.

“We used to see the children around the shop sometimes and I know she did a lot with them,” Ms Manion added.

“She used to take them to Matlock illuminations and on days out, they did a lot together.”

Ms Manion said Ms Henson was very hard-working and popular in the town adding: “Her little girl was sweet and used to come in here and have a chat.

“She used to say to me, ‘Mummy’s busy cutting hair’.

“Rachel was always very busy and sometimes even used to open on Sundays.

“I don’t know how she did that with four children.”

About half a dozen floral tributes were left outside Boyz yesterday. A picture of one of the girls was pinned to the front door.

Chris Beech, whose parents own the store next door to the barber’s shop, came to lay a bunch of flowers and said: “Rachel’s just a lovely person, always bubbly, and she lived for her kids.”

One of the cards that had been left with flowers said: “Our hearts go out to you at such a tragic loss.”

Another said: “For four beautiful children. Taken too early.”

Brian Sellers, 63, a neighbour, said Ms Henson had lived in the house for about 10 years.

“By the time the fire service arrived the blaze was well on its way and I don’t think they had much chance,” he said.

“It’s a shock for everyone here. It just feels really strange.”

Another neighbour said that Ms Henson had recently had work done on the house’s central heating which involved metal pipes being inserted into the chimney.

The front door of the house, which neighbours had tried in vain to open, was scorched by the fire and the front and side windows were also badly damaged.

On the first floor, two windows at the back were pulled out, revealing parts of the charred rooms inside.

Two ladders were propped up against the wall and a children’s see-saw and slide could be seen outside.

Gavin Tomlinson, from Derbyshire Fire Service, said of the neighbours’ attempts to help: “I’m aware that they did try to get into the door on the ground floor but it was locked.

“We effected the rescues from the first floor using a ladder.”

He said the fire service was keeping an “open mind” as to the cause of the blaze, and could not say whether it was suspicious.

One of the children was a pupil at Bradley Church of England Primary School while another attended St Oswald’s Church of England Infant School.

A spokeswoman for Bradley CE said: “Everyone in the school is absolutely devastated by this tragedy.”

“Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time.”