Overview
- Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service received a 999 call at about 3.38am and crews arrived roughly seven minutes later to find a semi‑detached house on Stone Square well alight.
- Firefighters searching the property discovered four people in an upstairs bedroom who were later confirmed as a woman and three children, and a fifth person with burns was taken to hospital.
- Six fire engines attended and eight firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the house while North West Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team personnel assisted at the scene.
- Some media outlets have published a family statement naming the victims but formal identification has not been completed and the cause of the fire remains under active joint investigation.
- Neighbours have left flowers and soft toys and a mobile police station has been deployed to offer support as investigators carry out forensic work and emergency services maintain a visible presence in the community.