‘Their presents were piled under the tree ready for them’: Family’s heartbreak as four brothers, aged three and four, are killed in blaze at London house ‘after being left alone’ the week before Christmas – as woman, 27, is arrested for child neglect
- EXCLUSIVE: Brothers Kyson and Bryson, four, and Leyton and Logan, three, were pulled from the inferno
- The four children were home alone during the fire at a terraced house on Collingwood Road in Sutton
- Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to the blazing property at around 7pm last night
- Children were ‘quickly located’ and given immediate CPR by fire crews before being taken to hospital
- MailOnline can reveal that the young children were alone in the house when London’s fire service arrived
- An unnamed woman, aged 27, has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect and remains in custody
The heartbroken grandfather of the two sets of twin brothers killed in the Sutton house fire today revealed the family is ‘shattered’ by the tragedy and declared: ‘It’s all the more heartbreaking because their presents were all piled under the tree ready for them’.
Jason Hoath shared a picture of his four grandsons Kyson and Bryson, aged four, and Leyton and Logan, aged three, holding hands, a habit the siblings became known for in their south London street where they were nicknamed ‘the quads’ because they looked so alike.
A 27-year-old woman was today arrested on suspicion of child neglect after two sets of ‘sweet and happy’ twin brothers were left home alone when the fire started at just before 7pm.
The boys were pulled from the inferno in Collingwood Road, Sutton, by firefighters but could not be saved despite frantic resuscitation attempts in the street outside last night.
Security officer Mr Hoath has paid tribute to his ‘amazing, smart and beautiful grandsons’, telling MailOnline: ‘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.’
Today Scotland Yard said a 27-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of child neglect and remains in police custody. Officers are also working in the property with London Fire Brigade to find the cause of the blaze. The 60 firefighters who entered the property last night will be offered counselling having been left ‘numb with profound sadness’ after the boys died.
MailOnline can reveal that the young children were alone in the house with no adults present when London’s fire service arrived. Flowers and cuddly toys have been laid at the scene this morning, including from relatives.
A neighbour and friend of the boys’ mother, Deveca Rose, said she lived alone with her four children and believes she worked for the NHS as a carer. The 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 the firefighters used it to smash the windows and let the smoke out in the upstairs windows.
‘I came back through my house to the street outside and the young boys had been brought out and were being resuscitated by paramedics on the road’. Another friend said the boys were ‘so well behaved’, ‘polite’ and ‘always holding hands’. Heartbroken neighbours claimed that they were ‘sweet natured and happy twins’.
The Metropolitan Police announced the arrest of the 27-year-old woman accused of child neglect this morning and said the children’s next of kin were ‘aware’ of their deaths and being supported by specialist officers.
Superintendent Rob Shepherd said: ‘The thoughts of everyone at the South Area Command Unit are with the family and friends of these four young children, who have suffered such a devastating and tragic loss tonight. I know these sentiments will be shared by the local community, Sutton and London as a whole.
‘We remain on scene with our emergency service colleagues and will be working through the night and beyond. At this very early stage the cause of the fire is unknown and will be investigated.’
