Mother and daughter killed in blaze
Bodies found 36 after Sunday's fire
A MOTHER and daughter have been killed after a fire broke out in a flat in Fishermead.
Police believe the two to be Bola Ejifunmilayo, aged 29 and her daughter Fiyin, aged 3, but it is expected that formal identification will not take place for a number of days.
The fire started in the block of flats in Fishermead Boulevard, Fishermead, in the early hours of Sunday September 5, but the two bodies were not discovered until nearly 36 hours later. Around 30 other residents in surrounding flats were evacuated as up to 40 firefighters fought the blaze.
A police cordon remained around the fire-ravaged flat on Tuesday morning, where a number of floral tributes were left, including one from the local church.
Philomina Adutwum paid tribute to her neighbour. She said: "She was a nice lady, and hard working. Every morning when I was taking my son to school, she was taking her little girl to school. There were never any problems with them, they were always nice people."
Another neighbour said: "It is never nice to hear about your neighbours like this. It always hits harder when there is a little child involved. It was a horrible scene, with fire engines and the Red Cross helping so many people so early in the morning. It really is very sad."
A woman was rescued from her bedroom by the fire and rescue service as they swept the area but before the search could be completed, floors and ceilings collapsed, hospitalising one firefighter who fell to the floor below - he was treated for arm and shoulder injuries but was later released.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Des Williamson said: "This is a tragic loss of life and our thoughts are with their relatives and friends. The bodies were not found during the initial searches of the scene as firefighters were hampered by the severity of the fire and the amount of debris that had fallen into the room.
"Firefighters searched in the most difficult conditions imaginable. We couldn't have done any more because of the intensity of the fire and the structural collapse within the building."
Supt Simon Eatwell, Said: "Our priority at this stage is to ensure that a thorough and proper investigation takes place to determine how this fire started and if any criminal offence has taken place. I would stress that at this stage, the fire is being treated as unexplained.
"Two people have tragically died in this fire, believed to be a mother and her daughter, and we owe it to them and their family to do everything we can to find out what happened."
"We have specially trained officers supporting the family during this difficult time and keeping them fully updated with the progress of the investigation. We are also liaising closely with the local pastor who is helping us keep the local community informed as well as providing support and comfort."
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
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