TWO young girls aged six and three died crouched under their bedroom window in a fire at their Essex home early yesterday, Rachel Donnelly reports. A police officer at the scene in Chelmsford described the fire as "a tragic accident".
The two sisters, Emma (6) and Marie Neal (3), were found dead shortly after 7 a.m. yesterday after a neighbour reported smoke "billowing out of the house".
The girls' parents, Phil and Helen Neal, and their brother and sister, James (12) and Tracey (7), were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.
A spokeswoman for the hospital said later that Mrs Neal and her children had been released and their condition was "satisfactory". Mr Neal was being detained overnight and his condition was described as "stable".