Toddler killed in Crewe house fire
A two-year-old boy has died in a house fire in Cheshire.
Fire crews were called to a terraced house in Myrtle Street, Crewe, shortly before 0900 GMT.
Four firefighters went into the house and rescued the toddler from a bedroom, but he died at the scene.
Two other children - a baby and a three-year-old - were lowered to safety from a first floor window by their mother to neighbours before firefighters arrived.
The surviving children, their parents and two neighbours were taken to hospital by ambulance.
The fire service and police have started an investigation into the cause of the blaze, which they believe was started in a back bedroom.
Gus O'Rourke, group manager at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said neighbours who had tried to get into the house to save the toddler were injured.
He said: "When crews arrived it was an extremely chaotic scene, with a lot of neighbours in the street and a well-developed fire.
"Passing the children through the window undoubtedly saved their lives."
Mr O'Rourke said fire crews had been badly affected by the incident and said they had had to work in "horrendous conditions" in thick smoke.
He urged people to check smoke alarms in their homes were working properly to avoid further "tragic incidents".
Neighbours said the family had only recently moved to the house.