Third child dies after fatal fire

The deaths have shocked local residents

A third child has died following a house fire which police said may have been started deliberately.

Seven-year-old Allan Berry died on Friday afternoon from serious injuries resulting from the fire.

The blaze killed Allan's mother, Paula McClung, 28, and his two brothers, David, aged nine, and 17-month-old Josh.

An investigation into the fire was under way as Allan's four-month-old step-brother remained critically ill in the Sick Children's Hospital in Edinburgh.

Mrs McClung's husband, Paul, the father of Josh and Jamie, was understood to be at Jamie's bedside.

The two elder boys, David and Allan, were Mrs McClung's children from an earlier relationship.

It's really sad - you wake up on a beautiful sunny day and then you hear news like this Ian Keith neighbour

Emergency services were at the site of the blaze in Bathgate, West Lothian, after being called out to an address in Falside Terrace just after 0200BST on Friday

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said they were investigating the possibility that the fire may be suspicious.

Officers appealed for anyone who saw or heard anything in the area during the early hours of Friday to contact them.

Neighbours spoke of their shock at the blaze as police set up cordons on the roads leading up to the burnt-out two-storey pebbledash end-of-terrace house in the quiet estate.

Its windows and blue front door were blackened and charred and the glass had disappeared.

Police and fire service personnel were busy at the scene moving in and out of the building, some dressed in white protective clothing.

Smashing glass

Neighbour, Laura Mclaren, 23, said she and her husband were awoken shortly before 0300BST to the sound of smashing glass from the burning property.

She said: "We saw smoke coming out of the roof and the firemen were breaking the roof up.

"But it was the glass that my husband heard. He heard it smashing and thought that was really shocking so we got up.

"The fire engines were outside in the street and there were ambulances there."

FIRE VICTIMS Paula McClung, 28 David Berry, nine Allan Berry, seven Josh McClung, 17-months

Ian Keith, 56, a nurse, said he was very distressed by the fire and the deaths of the youngsters because he had grandchildren.

Speaking outside his house, Mr Keith said: "My grandson played with one of the youngsters.

"It's really sad. You wake up on a beautiful sunny day and then you hear news like this.

"It's really shocking and it brings you back down to earth. It must be awful for the family.

"My daughter was in tears because she's got a friend who lives next door to the one involved in the fire and she was really upset because she wasn't sure which house it was.

"The guy who lived opposite told me that he saw flames coming out of the windows and outside the door.

"He was up reading and he saw flickering across the road so he got up and looked out across the street.

'Terrible tragedy'

"Everyone around here is affected by this and everyone is talking about it. It's really tragic."

Neighbour, Karin Imadanyen, 28, whose house backs on to the burned out property said it was "a nightmare".

The fire brigade was called just after 0200 BST

Mr Imadanyen said: "It was a completely horrific scene so I felt completely saddened and in fact a tear came to my eye when I saw it.

"It's a complete nightmare, it really is, even when you look at it now it's really sad."

He said he had come home from the pub with his girlfriend and a friend to discover the scene of "complete commotion".

Mr Imadanyen added: "I don't know the family involved very well. I think they were fairly new to the neighbourhood.

"But everyone is completely shocked. It's just not what you expect to happen, it's a terrible tragedy."