Four brothers killed in house inferno were at home alone
Woman held for neglect after 2 sets of twins die
THE heartbroken grandfather of four brothers killed in a blaze after being left home alone said their Christmas presents were ‘under the tree ready for them’ yesterday.
A 27-year-old woman was being quizzed by detectives last night on suspicion of child neglect after the boys were left without any parental supervision.
Scotland Yard confirmed that the tragedy, just a week before Christmas, happened after the two sets of twins, Kyson and Bryson, aged four, and Logan and Leyton, aged three, were left alone at their home in Sutton, south London.
Known locally as ‘the quads’ because the siblings looked so alike, the four boys were pulled from the inferno by firemen. But they could not be saved despite frantic resuscitation attempts in the street outside just before 7pm on Thursday night.
Last night their grieving family said they still did not know what had happened.
Distraught grandfather Jason Hoath, 51, paid tribute to his ‘amazing, smart and beautiful grandsons’, saying their father Dalton was ‘shattered’ by the news.
He said: ‘I’ve just left my son. He’s absolutely devastated. We all are. I’ve lost four grandchildren and he’s lost his kids as well. It’s all the more heartbreaking because their presents were all piled under the tree ready for them.
‘We don’t know what happened and are just waiting for the police to get back to us.
My son has been up all night and he’s shattered. He’s trying to get some sleep. He’s not in a good way as you can imagine.’
Speaking from his home in Surrey, Mr Hoath struggled to hold back the tears as his wife Kerrie added: ‘Everything is too raw at the moment.’
On Facebook, where the close protection officer posted dozens of photographs of his grandchildren, he wrote: ‘I am devastated to say that the horrendous house fire that took place in Sutton last night leading to four children losing their lives were my amazing, smart and beautiful grandsons.
‘Were taken too soon, they will always be in our hearts and thoughts. Boys, I love you forever. Grandad xxx.’
He posted the poignant message alongside a photograph of the four smiling siblings holding hands.
The cause of the blaze which ripped through the £360,000 terraced property is still unknown.
London Fire Brigade said the 60 firefighters who tackled the blaze would be offered counselling, having been left ‘numb with profound sadness’.
Neighbours said the children lived alone with their mother Deveca Rose, who is believed to be an NHS carer.
One friend said: ‘I know the family well, it’s absolutely heartbreaking. I’d heard my neighbours shouting in their gardens and looked out and saw the back of the house on fire. I went out and saw that the firefighters had come through the next door neighbour’s house and were standing on the roof of their kitchen extension.
‘Firefighters walked across the flat roof to her property. Another neighbour handed them a small cast iron table from their garden and they used it to smash the windows and let the smoke out. I came back outside and the young boys had been brought out and were being resuscitated by paramedics on the road.’
Another friend said the boys were ‘well-behaved, polite and always holding hands’. A local shop worker said: ‘The children would come into my shop. They were very nice and friendly. If they took something off the shelf their mum would let them have it. She seemed kind and loving. She never shouted at her children.’
Westbourne Primary School in Sutton, where the two eldest boys had just started, said that staff were ‘devastated’.
Police Chief Superintendent
Dave Stringer said: ‘There was nobody else inside the property at the time of the fire.
‘A 27-year-old woman was arrested last night on suspicion of child neglect. She remains in police custody.’