Man arrested in connection with house fire deaths

A 38-year-old man from Derby was arrested on Friday afternoon by detectives investigating the deaths of ten-year-old Jade Philpott, and her siblings John, nine, Jack, seven, Jessie, six, and five-year-old Jayden.

The children died after a fire broke out at their home in the Allenton area of Derby in the early hours of Friday. Their 13-year-old brother, Duwayne, who was also in the semi-detached property at the time of the blaze, remains in a critical condition in hospital in Birmingham.

Earlier on Friday Derbyshire Police said a 28-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of murder. She remains in police custody for questioning.

There appear to have been valiant attempts by the father to rescue his children. Steve Cotterill

The children’s father Mick Philpott, who had appeared in an ITV documentary about benefits claimants, was said to have made “valiant attempts” to save them.

Television

Five years ago Mr Philpott, a long-term benefits claimant who reportedly had 18 children, appeared in the TV documentary, Ann Widdecombe Versus The Benefit Culture, after his story was featured in national newspapers.

He had complained to the local authority that his council home was too small for all the children he had had with his wife and mistress, who both lived in the house.

Derby City Council said they had already given the family the biggest council house in the city.

Nobody would ever call him a bad father. Ann Widdecombe

The former Tory MP, who lived with Mr Philpott for a week while filming the show, said: “Nobody would ever call him a bad father. I’m so sorry to hear the news and my thoughts are with the family.”

Emergency services were called to the house just before 4am on Friday. Mr Philpott, neighbours and firefighters fought to rescue the trapped children from the first floor of the council house.

Medics rushed the five victims to the Royal Derby Hospital along with a sixth child aged 13 and two adults, but doctors could not save the youngsters.

Tragic loss

Derbyshire’s Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: “At the moment we are keeping a very, very open mind as to the cause of the fire.

“Our thoughts are with the parents and the family of the children for their tragic loss and for the community of Allenton, who would of course have known the children as they played.”

Derbyshire’s chief fire officer Sean Frayne said 30 firefighters were sent to the scene.

He said: “When the first crew arrived on scene, they were faced with a fire at the front of the building. They quickly made their way past the fire to search the rest of the premises, having been told that persons were inside the house.

“The crews worked extremely hard in very difficult circumstances and very quickly located six casualties.

“They moved the six casualties to open air, where they worked with our colleagues in the ambulance service to try to resuscitate. Personnel at the scene then continued to work very, very hard to save the lives of the five fatalities.

“Unfortunately this has had a huge effect not only on the community but certainly within the fire and rescue service and other emergency services that were in attendance.”

A parent’s worst nightmare

Neighbours and friends of the family, who have not yet been named by police, laid flowers near the scene.

Daniel Walsh said: “It’s absolutely tragic – any parent’s worst nightmare.”

Another neighbour said she saw flames coming out of the house and “loads of ambulances”, and described it as a “horrible, horrible” scene.

“I just saw the babies going to the ambulance because it was parked outside our house,” she added.

“The children are friends with my kids. They played with my children. They were OK. Good kids.”