Jumping jive night
Louis replied with: “Give us a second, I wanna show you something.”
Det Ch Insp Geoff Hurst, who investigated the incident, told the court: “All of the boys then described hearing a bang and some described hearing a popping noise, similar to popcorn.
“They then all consistently describe an orange flame.
“One said the boys were scared and left the area and another of the boys described the explosion [as being] like a firecracker.”
Further evidence was given to the inquest at Preston by Steve Darby, an incident intelligence officer for the fire service.
He said: “You hope beyond hope that he made his way out but I arrived about an hour after the fire began.
“My gut feeling was that if he was in there it was not going to be survivable.
“Because of the severe temperatures it cuts out the nerve endings in your skin.
“From my experience, Louis would have gone to sleep quickly and not suffered – if that gives you any comfort.”
Mr Darby said that in fires such as this, temperatures would reach more than 1,000°C, and because of the nature of the dry straw being burned it would have spread very quickly.
Louis’s body was discovered more than 24 hours after the blaze began because fire crews having to painstakingly remove about 150 tons of hay from the barn and place them down in a field nearby in their exact relative positions so that they could determine where the teenager’s body was found.
Coroner James Newman said: “He was located close to the upper window where the boys had gone in, and close to his body was a firework.
“Th e source of ignition was a firework and this ignited bales of hay within the barn.
“It spread rapidly due to the dry nature and heat being contained. It was a prolific fire. Louis died as a result of severe burns and if any comfort can be taken from today, Louis did not suffer and he passed away very quickly. This appears to me to be a tragic incident where boys play as boys will.”
A verdict of misadventure was recorded. JIVE SENSATIONS are inviting people to join them for Freestyle Friday at The Civic in Ormskirk on Friday, May 18, from 8pm.
Modern jive is a mix of ballroom, salsa, hip hop, tango and jive.
A short session of West Coast Swing will start at 8pm.
The organisers say visitors will not need to bring partners as there are plenty of dancers.
Entrance is £8, including a buffet.