Detectives have launched an investigation after a house fire left two small children fighting for their lives. A girl, aged three, and boy, five, are in a critical condition and their mother was seriously injured.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after the blaze at a terraced house in Preston, Lancashire, yesterday evening. Now police have issued an urgent appeal for information.
Emergency crews raced to the property on Coronation Crescent at around 8pm last night (Friday, April 8 th ) following reports of a fire with several people trapped inside the house. A woman and two children were rescued from the property and the woman, aged in her 20s, remains in hospital with injuries which are not thought to be life-threatening, LancsLive reports.
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Her two children – a girl aged three and a boy aged five – remain in a critical condition. Their next of kin are with them in hospital and are being supported by specially-trained officers.
The fire is currently being treated as unexplained and a joint investigation is underway with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service to establish exactly what occurred. Police have asked anyone with information to contact them immediately.
Det Ch Insp Graham Hill, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: “Two children are in hospital with life-threatening injuries, and first and foremost our thoughts are with them and their parents at this awful time. We have specially-trained officers with them at hospital.
“At this time the fire is being treated as unexplained and an investigation has been launched with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service to establish the cause. We now need you to contact us if you have any information at all that can help with this investigation.
“Maybe you were in the Coronation Crescent area last night between 7.30pm and 8.30pm and saw something suspicious, perhaps you have dashcam or CCTV which has captured the address during those times, or maybe you have other information you think could be important.
“Whatever you know we would urge you to contact us straight away. We are also aware of rumours circulating online about an explosion having occurred and we would like to clarify that this is not the case.”
Anybody with information is asked to get in touch on 101, quoting log 1305 of April 8 th . A man aged 24 and from Preston was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and he remains in custody.
