Britain · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Elisha Brabin and Three Children Die in Bootle House Fire on Stone Square
Elisha Brabin, 36, and her three children died in Bootle house fire on Stone Square. Four people died; fire reported at about 3:45am in Bootle.
Whether to name and attribute the father's rescue attempt.
3 of 10 outlets skipped it: soft-toy details (Minecraft and Star Wars) at the scene.
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Metro.co.uk
“Their father Kane Stephenson is understood to have desperately tried to rescue those inside”Read the original ↗
Metro frames the incident with named, rescue-focused claims about the father, while the BBC and Guardian stick to official response and tributes.
Bootle family tribute
Elisha Brabin, 36, and her children Leo Brabin, 16, Ellis Brabin, 8, and Prudence Brabin, 7, died after a blaze spread rapidly inside a house on Stone Square in Bootle, Merseyside, in the early hours of Tuesday.
The family said they were experiencing an "unimaginable" loss and added that "Elisha was a devoted and loving mother" and "our beautiful babies, Leo, Ellis and Prudence, were loved beyond measure".
Neighbours and friends paid their respects after the family left flowers close to a police cordon around Stone Square, and Rachel told the BBC: "She made her children happy, she did everything for her children."
Loti Nambombe said, "It's a community. It's broken. It hurts," and Nambombe set up an online fundraising page that had raised more than £5,000 on Wednesday.
Fire response and investigation
Firefighters discovered the four victims in an upstairs bedroom after being called to the semi-detached house on Stone Square just before 3:45 am on Tuesday, 22 September, and Chief Fire Officer Nick Searle said the house was already well alight with flames spreading rapidly. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said a fifth casualty was found outside the house and was taken to hospital suffering from burns, and Merseyside Police deployed a mobile station to provide reassurance and support to the community.
Kevin Longshaw said, "This is a devastating incident, and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of those who have lost their lives and been injured," and he added that the service would work with relevant colleagues to ascertain the cause of the fire. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Merseyside Police began a joint investigation to determine the cause of the blaze, while next of kin had been informed but formal identification had not yet taken place.
Community tributes and support
By Wednesday morning, the street around Stone Square was lined with floral tributes, candles, and star-shaped balloons in pink and blue, and soft toys including Minecraft and Star Wars characters were placed near the police cordon.
“One card read, “God bless you all. Heartbroken to hear about the devastating fire.””
A card left at the scene said, "God bless you all. Heartbroken to hear about the devastating fire," and another card read, "Sleep tight. Forever in our hearts."
Bishop of Liverpool the Right Rev Ruth Worsley and Bishop of Warrington the Right Rev Simon Robinson said they were "deeply saddened to hear of the devastating incident in Bootle" and added, "Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones at this unimaginably difficult time."
Steve Rotheram told BBC Radio Merseyside that there was "that bond in most of those communities" in Bootle and that he was "certain that whatever they can do as a community to help those who have been left behind, they will."