No working smoke alarms in Huddersfield house

Fire crews say no working smoke alarms were found in a house in Huddersfield where a blaze killed two boys at the weekend.

Police have formally identified the victims as three-year-old Logan Taylor and two-year-old Jake Casey.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dave Walton said: “Our thoughts and condolences following this tragedy are extended to the family and friends of Logan and Jake.

“Whilst early indications are that the cause of the fire is not suspicious, investigations are ongoing and it may be some days before we have a conclusive cause of the fire.

“We will continue to work closely alongside our partners at West Yorkshire Police in the coming days whilst the investigation progresses.”

Fire crews were called to the property in Alder Street at 14.05pm on Saturday and three engines attended, two from Huddersfield and one from Rastrick.

The two boys were found inside the property and were taken to hospital by paramedics, but sadly later it was confirmed both boys had lost their lives.

Dep Chief Fire Officer Walton added: “We can confirm that at the time of the fire, there were no working smoke alarms in the property. Further investigations are ongoing to determine the exact circumstances but we urge people to always have a working smoke alarm and to test it regularly.”

Fire crews will be in the area over the coming days offering fire safety advice and fitting smoke alarms, where required.

Brothers aged two and three died after a fire in a bedroom swept through their home, a senior fire officer has said. The boys named on floral tributes as Jake and Logan were rushed to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary on Saturday afternoon but could not be saved. Their mother and another brother were able to escape the semi-detached home in Alder Street at Fartown, before the crews arrived. Family members have returned to the scene of the tragedy to leave flowers. West Yorkshire Police said the cause of the fire was not thought to be suspicious. Chris Kirby, group manager at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said firefighters battled to rescue the boys when they arrived at the scene to be told that two children were still inside. He said: "They very quickly sent two of their breathing apparatus-wearers inside the property, they extinguished the fire and performed a search of the property and recovered the two boys that were still inside. "They were then very quickly transported to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary by our colleagues from the paramedics and unfortunately we got confirmation later on that they had lost their lives in this incident. "So (it's) an absolutely tragic event and our thoughts are with the family affected, clearly it's going to be devastating for them, the local community and there's also an impact on the crews who attended. "I was speaking to some of them yesterday, they had got tears in their eyes, they were very upset about the scenes that they had witnessed."

Mr Kirby said investigations were ongoing, and the fire was thought to have started in an upstairs bedroom.

He added: "Fire can spread very quickly and within a matter of minutes you can have a significant fire. "We are in the area this afternoon offering free fire safety checks to people in the community, trying to increase their awareness to stop this kind of incident occurring."

Local Labour councillor Amanda Pinnock, who was leafleting in the area on Saturday, said the community was in shock.

"It's a tragedy," she said, "It's a very close-knit area in Fartown.

"Because of the area, everybody knows everybody.

"They will be shocked by what has happened. "I feel like I am in shock." She urged people to get a smoke alarm and to check them regularly. "The fire service will come and fit them for free," she said, "It's crucial people get them."

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