Four people have died after a fire swept through a semi-detached home in Bootle, Merseyside, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Emergency crews arrived at Stone Square to find an intense fire spreading rapidly through the property, and firefighters discovered the four occupants showing no signs of life inside. Another person was found outside the property and taken to hospital for treatment of burns, prompting investigations by both fire and police authorities.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service received the alarm at 3:38am and crews were on scene seven minutes later with six fire engines and eight firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus. The firefighters conducted a search of the property and fought the fire using hose reel jets whilst assisting the injured person found outside. A formal investigation by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Merseyside Police is underway to establish the cause of the fire, with a police cordon remaining in place at the scene.