Princes: Diana smothered us both in love
Dad battled to save his family
A MUM and her three children died yesterday when fire engulfed their terraced home.
Neighbours saw the dad leap from a bedroom window before trying to get back into the house to rescue his family.
But the man, named locally as a Zubair Dalal, had to be dragged back by neighbours after trying to smash the door down because the flames were too intense.
Witness Bilal Ali, a student, was woken at 9am by ear-splitting screams. He said: “I looked out of my window and the dad was smashing all the windows, screaming and crying and had blood running down his face.
“It was horrendous. We went to help but there were flames everywhere. Some went round the back but there was too much fire. We just couldn’t get back in.
“The dad was trying to go back in but it was too dangerous and he had to be held back.”
Fire crews arrived within minutes and performed CPR on the victims before they were rushed to hospital. One child was pronounced dead at the scene.
The children were later named as Hammad, 12, Yusuf, 10, and Khadija, five. Their mum Anisha Umerji also died shortly after arrival at hospital.
Fire chiefs said officers had to use specialist equipment to break down the door, and the blaze was so intense plaster on the walls had burned away exposing brickwork.
SEVERE
They found all four victims upstairs at the house in Bolton just after 9am yesterday.
Tony Hunter, assistant county officer at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said: “A colleague told me it was one of the most severe fires they had seen.”
Det Chief Insp Chris Bridge said police were not treating the fire as suspicious.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham tweeted: “Dreadful news coming out of Bolton. My thoughts are with the family, their friends & the whole community.” Princes Harry and Wills flick through family album PRINCES William and Harry pay tribute to Princess Diana as a mum for the first time in a documentary, saying: “She smothered us in love.”
The brothers open up about their late mother in Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, which airs at the end of the month.
A trailer shows the pair leafing through family photos and reminiscing fondly together.
Harry, 32, says: “This is the first time the both of us have ever spoken about her as a mother.”
In the sentimental tribute Harry adds: “She was our mum, she still is our mum and of course, as a son, I would say that she was the best mum in the world. She smothered us in love, that’s for sure.”
Both princes praise the Princess of Wales’ sense of fun. William, 35, says: “She was very informal and really enjoyed laughter and fun.”
Harry adds: “She was one of the naughtiest parents.”
The trailer for the documentary, which comes 20 years after Diana’s death in Paris, gives a glimpse into the princes’ childhood through a selection of photos and video. One cute shot shows Wills on a horse alongside a smiling Diana, with Harry by her side.
A young Harry pulls a face for the camera while Mum holds him close, in another intimate snap.
And in another, William laughs as he sits on his mother’s shoulders.
“She understood there was real life outside palace walls,” he says.
The release of the documentary comes after both princes told this year how they struggled to cope with their grief.
Mental health charities have praised them for speaking out.