Man and woman arrested after four children died in house fire
TWO people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence after a house fire led to the deaths of four children.
Riley Holt, eight, Keegan Unitt, six, Olly Unitt, three, and Tilly Rose Unitt, four, died after the blaze in Sycamore Lane, Highfields, Staffs, on Tuesday.
A fifth child, named locally as twoyear-old Jack, was taken to hospital after escaping the fire from a first-floor window with Natalie Unitt, his mother, and Chris Moulton, her partner.
Mr Moulton, 28, is understood to have received treatment for burns and Ms Unitt, 24, for smoke inhalation – injuries that were believed to be non-lifethreatening.
Staffordshire Police said a 24-yearold woman and a 28-year-old man were arrested at around 1.30pm yesterday and remained in custody.
Part of the roof of the house collapsed in the fire, and windows were smashed, while the inside appeared to have been blackened by smoke.
A fundraising page set up for the family of the four children has since raised more than £28,500.
A spokesman for South Staffordshire coroner’s court said the post-mortem examinations of the four children had not yet been completed but their file had been passed to the coroner.
Tributes were paid to the youngsters, with teachers describing them as “bright, happy, loving and lively”.
In a statement made shortly after the arrests, police said: “This incident has had a huge impact on the community and we understand there will be confusion and a demand for information.
“However, we would urge people not to speculate as to what may have happened and appeal for patience as the investigation continues. We will provide further updates as soon as we are able to.”
Police refused to confirm the identity of the two people in custody, while fire investigators said they could not comment on their findings as it was “now a criminal investigation”.
Some earlier reports suggested that an explosion heard by neighbours at the time of the fire could have been caused by a faulty boiler.