THE brave survivor of an horrific North Wingfield house fire which killed her mother and three others did everything she could to try to save their lives.
A Chesterfield coroner's court inquest heard yesterday Tuesday, September 16, that seven-year-old Tia James had been awake when lethal smoke from a fire spread through the house on Williamthorpe Road, killing her mother Claire James, 27, her mother's friend Josie Leighton, 29, and her young sons Jordan, 12, and Tyler Green, nine.
Tia told police how she had woken and tried to alert Claire, Josie and the boys and tried guiding one of the boys downstairs but all four died from smoke inhalation.
Assistant coroner for Derbyshire, James Newman, said: "Tia was woken by something, possibly an alarm, and she remembers trying to wake Tyler and Jordan.
"Her recollection is that Josie and Claire were awake, as she remembers Josie saying let's go downstairs."
The youngster tried to rouse neighbours during the fire in the early hours of November 20 last year, but she got no response and she was found by firefighters.
Neighbour Sarah Hempshall said she had previously heard banging and shouting from Claire's home and during the night of the fire in the early hours of November 20.
She said she was unsure if she had heard an intermittent smoke alarm sounding/
She woke up at about 4.55am when she smelled smoke and then alerted the fire service.
Firefighters forced their way into the property and found the four bodies.
Neighbour Ian Shaw told the hearing how he had heard a little girl shouting "mum" three times after he had been woken by one of his dogs about 1.40am and had gone outside.
He added: "In hindsight, I should have gone down and had a look and I cannot apologise enough.
"If I had been there, I would have broken the door down."
Derbyshire Fire Service established there had been an electrical fault in the floor board space between the ground floor and the first floor which could not have been detected.
The fire spread upwards, according to an investigating officer, and had also spread to a TV below which ignited and flames went up and thick black smoke was produced.
Assistant coroner Mr Newman concluded that Claire, and Josie Leighton, Jordan and Tyler Green, of Dethick Way, North Wingfield, all died as the result of an accident.
Mr Newman said: "While I believe there was a missed opportunity to raise an earlier alarm, I have not heard anything to suggest it would have made a difference in terms of the outcome."
