Boy dies in house fire

A three-year-old boy has died in a fire at his home in Lancashire.

The child's father and fire crews tried to reach him after he was trapped in his upstairs bedroom at the house in Rawtenstall.

But the blaze, which started in the boy's bedroom, was so intense that it made any rescue attempt impossible, according to the fire service.

The boy, who has not been named, died at the scene of Tuesday's fire.

His parents were treated for smoke inhalation after they managed to flee the house.

They were admitted to Bury General Hospital for observation.

Wall of flames

Peter Holland, chief fire officer for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, described a scene of total devastation at the four-bedroom house.

"The plaster is off the walls, the windows were blown out, the ceiling caved in and the fire spread through into the roof."

"We had a very, very severe fire in the child's bedroom on the first floor.

He said firefighters had been confronted by a wall of flames and dense smoke when they tried to rescue the boy from his room.

Visors melted

"They tried to get into the room but were beaten back by the intensity of the flames which even melted the visors of a couple of our officers," he said.

He said it was understandable that the father had tried to rescue his son before fire crews arrived.

"But the fire was so intense that he wouldn't have been able to get up the stairs," he said.

Mr Holland said that if a smoke alarm had been fitted in the house the tragedy would have been averted.

Police and fire officers are now investigating the cause of the fire.