Father is killed as he tries to save child from fire
Murder inquiry as appeal launched Police baffled by motive for arson
A FATHER died trying to save his daughter in a house fire police believe was started deliberately.
A murder inquiry has been launched after the deaths of Andrew Broadhead, 42, and his eight-year-old daughter Kiera in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
Mother Sara, 35, and her daughter, Mia, 13, escaped the blaze through a bedroom window at the house in Ash Crescent, Stanley, in the early hours of Wednesday.
Both were treated in hospital but have since been discharged and are now being cared for by relatives.
It is believed Mr Broadhead escaped the blaze but went back into the family home to try and save Kiera who was trapped inside.
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Bryar of West Yorkshire Police said a substance may have been poured through the letterbox, and the person responsible may have been burned in the process.
Ms Bryar said: “This is a terrible incident which has robbed a family of a husband and their youngest daughter.
“Following inquiries, we are now treating it as a murder inquiry.
“The seat of the fire appears to have been by the front door and we are investigating the possibility that an accelerant was poured through the letter box.
“We know that this fire took hold extremely quickly and it is possible that the person who set this fire was themselves burned in doing so.”
Speaking outside the property yesterday Det Chief Insp Bryar said she believed someone in the community must know who has committed the crime.
She said: “We don’t know who is responsible at this moment in time.
“We don’t know what the motive for the crime is.
“But it is a small community is Stanley. I know a lot of the residents are very shocked by what has happened.
“You have only got to look at the floral tributes outside the home address.
“If anybody has got any information as to who is responsible then they must contact police.”
The family had only returned from a holiday in Spain with Mr Broadhead’s parents Alan and Jean Broadhead, both 68, on Tuesday.
Alan Broadhead said: “We have just come back from holiday.
“We were all on holiday together in Spain, but Jean and I stayed longer. We had to come back early when we heard.
“My wife has seen people posting about it on Facebook this morning and she’s so upset. She can’t believe it’s happened.”
He added: “It is such a shock. It was very difficult to hear the news when we were abroad. We lost a son and a granddaughter.”
A fundraising campaign, set up to support the bereaved family, has been backed by hundreds of people. Last night the total stood at £6,455. Launching the Crowdfunding campaign on the JustGiving website, Kelly Bucknell wrote: “After our little village of Stanley was rocked by the devastating news of the tragic deaths of a father and daughter, I have set up this fundraising page to help the family in any way we can to make their lives a little easier.”
It is such a shock... we lost a son and a granddaughter. Alan Broadhead, who has returned from Spain after the shocking deadly blaze.