Khaberni - Official investigations in the UK revealed tragic details about the death of a 13-year-old girl who burned to death while sleeping in her bunk bed, with evidence suggesting the mattress may have been ignited by a cigarette lighter.
Layla Allen died in a fire that broke out in her family's home in the Prescott area of Merseyside, in an incident that raised questions about the circumstances of the accident.
According to the "Daily Mail", firefighting teams arrived at the scene just before midnight, after receiving reports of a fire in a first-floor bedroom.
Rescue workers found Layla's parents, Shaun Allen and Michelle McGurie, standing outside the house with her five siblings, while the girl remained trapped inside her room.
The rescue team found Layla motionless on the upper level of her bunk bed and pronounced her dead at the scene, while neighbors later recounted that they woke up to loud screams and heard a man shouting "Jump, I'll catch you!" outside the window as the fire engulfed the house.
Investigating officer Ruth Baller-Wilson from the Merseyside Fire Service testified in court on January 16, explaining that the fire started on the upper level of the bunk bed and then spread through the bedding to the mattress, fueled by oxygen from an open window next to it.
The investigator added that if Layla had started the fire herself, there was no reason for her not to escape from the room.
Although the investigations did not conclusively determine the cause of the fire, they concluded that the most likely scenario was ignition by a direct flame such as a lighter, as investigators found two lighters inside the home, which Layla's parents denied owning.
The coroner, Anita Bahardwaj, explained that the police were unable to interrogate the other children in the house, as the family felt that the interviews would psychologically harm them. Child care services supported this stance, preventing further evidence gathering.
Meanwhile, the Merseyside Police found no evidence of anyone outside the home being involved in the fire.
