House fire claims third victim

Police alerted fire crews to the blaze

The grandfather of two young children, who perished in a weekend house fire, has died in hospital.

Peter Morrison, 55, was taken to Wishaw General Hospital after suffering burns and smoke inhalation in the blaze at his home in High Street, Newarthill, near Motherwell, on Sunday morning.

His two young grandchildren, Ashley Scott, four, and her three-year-old brother, William, were pronounced dead shortly after being recovered from the fire.

Mr Morrison's 53-year-old wife, Isla, still remains in a serious condition at Monklands District Hospital, Airdrie.

Ashley and William Scott were staying with their grandparents

The two children, from nearby Carfin, are understood to have been looked after by their grandparents while their mother was at work.

The blaze was spotted at around 0600 GMT by two police officers on foot patrol and they called the fire and ambulance services.

Neighbours said they wakened to see flames shooting out of the one-storey building but were unable to do anything.

Marion Bainbridge said: "I looked out and the flames were everywhere. I got my husband and we went round to the house, but there was nothing we could do."

She added: "I can't believe it. They were two lovely kids."

Neighbour James Kelly said: "There was a glow coming off the roof and smoke everywhere. That was all I could see.

No suspicious circumstances

"The flames were billowing everywhere. I thought it was lightning. All I could see was the flashes."

Superintendent Wilson Butler, of Bellshill police office, said: "Our thoughts are with the family of the two young children who have died in this tragic incident.

"We have specially trained officers who are offering support to the family."

David Kennedy urged people to take more care

Strathclyde Fire Brigade reiterated calls for people to take care with use of Christmas decorations, including lights, although investigators said they might not establish the cause of the fire for days.

The brigade also indicated that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire, which is believed to have started towards the front of the property.

A spokesman said: "The fire investigation team have not yet come up with a probable cause and they are still investigating.

"There was quite a bit of damage caused and there's a lot of debris to sift through. And we still have to carry out more interviews, so the investigation could run into days before it is concluded."

Deputy firemaster David Kennedy said firefighters had come to fear the festive season because of the increased likelihood of serious fires.

Community shock

He said: "We dread this time of year because we always anticipate a tragedy like this happening.

"No-one in the fire service or emergency services looks forward to dealing with something like this so close to Christmas.

"The firefighters and everyone in this community will be shocked, because in a small town like this, the fire crews issue safety messages and they knew they would very likely have a very serious house fire and serious injuries.

"Unfortunately, in this case we don't know the circumstances of this tragedy, but if it helps prevent another tragedy then something good will have come out of it."