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At Inquest, Coroner Returns Open Verdict in Prescot House Fire That Killed 13-Year-Old Layla Allen

Police could not interview the other children under welfare advice, limiting evidence.

Overview

  • Investigators found it more likely than not that the blaze was started with a lighter by one of the children, and no third-party involvement was identified.
  • Fire analysis indicated ignition on the top bunk, with the fire developing through bedding and the mattress as an open window supplied oxygen.
  • Two disposable lighters were recovered in the home, which Layla's parents said did not belong to them.
  • Firefighters had attended a separate bedroom fire at the address months earlier, and offers of SAFE educational support in November 2024 were declined.
  • The coroner urged the family to engage with fire and social services, and the post-mortem recorded death from the effects of fire with carbon monoxide in the lungs.