Walkden House Fire: Three Children Killed In ‘Suspicious’ Manchester Blaze

Three children have died and a fourth is in a critical condition after a “suspicious” house fire in Walkden, Greater Manchester Police said.

The injured child, a girl aged three, and her mother are fighting for their lives in hospital.

The Manchester Evening News reports that a 14-year-old girl was declared dead at the scene and that a boy, 8, and a girl 7, later died in hospital.

Latest: Six people have been taken to hospital after a house fire in Salford. Fire crews were called out to Jackson Street in Worsley at five o’clock this morning. https://t.co/M6cusGCO0j pic.twitter.com/HM6em8BYgH

December 11, 2017
This is Jackson Street, where the fire happened. It remains cordoned off and Worsley Road North is shut to traffic.https://t.co/YwJDn7dsXL pic.twitter.com/ogmuyNQJLI

December 11, 2017
The newspaper reports one line of investigation being considered is the possibility a flammable liquid was poured through the home’s letterbox.

The blaze began at a mid-terraced house on Jackson Street, Walkden, at 5am on Monday.

Citing police sources, the BBC reports there is a manhunt underway for an individual in connection with the incident. It adds that the mother is heavily sedated and does not yet know that her children are dead.

At the scene of the house fire in Walkden. Metal police cordon up at junction of Jackson Street and Worsley Road, which has now reopened to traffic. pic.twitter.com/07xlw0XUQY

December 11, 2017
There’s still a cordon in place around the scene of a house fire in Walkden. 6 people were rescued from the terrace on Jackson street 4 taken to hospital. pic.twitter.com/u9CSkbNxWw

December 11, 2017
Two people, believed to be teenage boys, had escaped the building before Greater Manchester fire crews arrived, rescuing a further five people. Firefighters remain at the scene monitoring the house for any remaining hotspots.

Residents and commuters are being advised to avoid the area due to road closures.