A 13-year-old boy who died in a shed fire has been named locally as Jack Sheldon.
South Yorkshire Fire Service were called to an address in Byron Avenue, Doncaster, at 9pm last night, where they extinguished a shed fire in the back garden.
Tragically they then found the body of a schoolboy.
It is believed Jack lived at the end-of-terrace house with his mum, Carlie Swatten, 32, and younger brother Lewis.
At the property this morning (Fri), tarpolin covered the shed in the back garden. Next to the shed is a kids trampoline.
A solitary police car and fire investigation van stood outside the end yellow brick semi-detached where a 13-year-old boy died last night.
In the garden, which looks out onto the main road, a black tarpaulin sheet hung around an area where fire investigators were working.
A floral tribute outside the property read: “We are all thinking of you. There are no words that can be spoken.
“Just know that we share your sorrow.”
A neighbour, who didn’t wish to be named, said: “I was out last night when it happened.
“I know they kept a motorbike and petrol in the shed.
“I spoke to his mum last night and they aren’t coping with what happened.”
Another neighbour described seeing flames, saying: “It was my dogs that alerted the fire to me first around 8.30pm.
“The flames were above the trees and I could hear all this crackling and popping.
“I didn’t hear any screaming but I heard voices later on that I assume is was the police or fire investigators.”
Neighbours on the street confirmed that Jack Sheldon had died.
Meanwhile on social media, friends of Jack’s paid tribute to him. One speculated that he had been filling up his bike with petrol in the shed when the fire started.
The friend wrote: “Rip jack son you meant the world to me and many others, things just aren’t going to be the same without you. You were taken way too soon and you will always be missed I love you son rip”
She later posted: “Basically was filling his bike up with petrol in a shed and sommets happened lit it on fire and he couldn’t get out x”
A female friend wrote: “Rest in paradise jack,known you soooo long and thats the worst news ever,one of my best friends ever- gone but never forgotten, taken too young. love you always xxxxx”
Another friend posted: “Will be missed dearly.”
Jack Shelton’s great grandmother Irene Bennett, 74, paid tribute to the teenager, describing him as a “sweet little lad”.
Speaking from her detached bungalow in Doncaster, South Yorks., Irene, who is the grandmother of Jack’s mum Carlie, said: “He was a sweet little lad and he was so clever and right warm-hearted.
“Jack used to say to me ‘I hope you live until you are 90, Nanna and then I would like to live in your house’.”
“He was always asking me if he could take bits from my shed, tools and things like that.
“He wanted to be a plumber when he left school, but I knew he had something in his shed but I didn’t know what it was.
“I knew he had gone mad on engines and bikes in the past few months.”
Irene said she didn’t know the full details of the tragic events that took place last night.
Fighting back the tears, she said: “All I know is that he burnt to death in a shed.
“His mum’s partner came round to my house last night and told me that Jack had died.
“He told me that Jack had been in the shed and was fiddling around with a petrol engine.
“I think he locked himself in and couldn’t get out.
“He had a thing for locking doors and would always say to me ‘Nanna lock your doors’ whenever he came round.
“I can’t believe it has happened.
“I was out yesterday and when I came back my recycling and been gone through and I knew it was him because that’s what he did.
“I’ve then been told he went to the youth club before he went home.
“I just keep thinking to myself if only I had been here because then he would have stayed the night and his never would have happened.
“I just wish I could turn the clocks back.”
Irene admitted that she was aware that Jack smoked but didn’t think that’s what caused the blaze.
She said: “I used to warn him about smoking giving you cancer and he turned around and said ‘Nanna everybody smokes’.
“But I don’t think he would go into the shed to hide it. He might have had a heater in there or something like that.
“I have two sons who were bike mad too and they almost blew the shed up in the past.
“I don’t know what exactly they do in there but its a confined space and fire spreads quickly.”
Irene said Jack’s dad Daniel died three or four years ago.
She said: “I believe Daniel was with him at the end and said to him ‘don’t be frightened Jack’.
“God has a plan for everybody and he must have meant for this to happen but my comfort is thinking Daniel was with him at the end.”
