Toddler dies in house blaze tragedy

A TWO-year-old boy has been killed in a house fire today despite neighbours' desperate efforts to fight their way into the burning building and save him.

The blaze started at a family home in The Nordalls, in Kessingland, near Lowestoft, at around 8.30am, and although two people and a child managed to escape the toddler became trapped inside.

Neighbour Jan Parker witnessed the incident. She said: "I was in the garden with my partner Adam James when we heard screaming.

"Helen was shouting out of the window and we went to help. She lowered her eldest child to Adam and we wrapped him up in a quilt."

The mother Helen, the father Jimmy, the eldest child, a three-and-a-half year old believed to be called Johnny Lee, were outside of the house but their youngest child, believed to called Tye, was still in the first floor room of the house.

She added: "Jimmy tried to get back in but there was no way he could get past the flames, he was just frantic and did not know what to do next."

Ambulances and fire crews then appeared at the scene.

Assistant Divisional Officer John Cook said: "We received a call at 8.30 this morning of a house fire with persons trapped, four fire engines attended, three from Lowestoft and one from Wrentham."

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the two-year-old boy as he was taken by ambulance to James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, along with the other three from the house.

"The first two appliances came with breathing apparatus, very quickly they located the casualty on the first floor of the premises and rescued the two-year-old boy," Mr Cook said.

"They brought him outside but did not know if he was alive when he was taken out of the building. Everyone else was already out of the house".

As yet the Fire Brigade do not know what caused the fire, but an investigation is under way.

Ms Parker added: "The family has lived here for about a year and kept themselves to themselves. I cannot comprehend what they are going through at this moment."

Another witness Janet Stanborough said: "It is very upsetting and you do not like to hear of this, when the child was brought out of the building it was burnt all down one side."