A woman has died and her teenage daughter is battling for her life after a devastating fire ripped through a family home in the early hours of the morning.
Tragic mother-of-four Naika Inayat, 56, perished in the blaze which also left her 16-year-old daughter with horrific 70 per-cent burns and four others injured.
Emergency services were called to the scene on Cateswell Road, in Springfield, Birmingham, at around 5am.
Paramedics arrived to find Naika’s distraught husband Mohammed, 55, outside the semi-detached property with his four other daughters – including the 16-year-old.
It is believed the brave father dragged two of his daughters from the burning building while his two other grown-up children escaped by leaping from a first floor window to escape the flames.
The 16-year-old – named locally as Saima – was rushed to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital suffering serious burns to her body.
Yesterday afternoon she remained in a critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
Another 26-year-old woman was also taken to hospital with serious injuries after sustaining 50 per cent burns to her back, legs and arms.
The two other daughters were treated for minor leg injuries after jumping from the first floor window.
Neighbours yesterday described the moment the family tried to escape ‘screaming in terror’ as the fire took hold.
Local resident Haroon Hussain, 18, said he and his three brothers put a mattress under the window for the girls to jump out on to.
The college student said: “I woke up at about 5am and saw two girls trying to escape. There was no smoke alarm I could just hear screaming.
“I could see the fire and I was shaking and panicking, I could actually feel the heat of it when I was stood in the street.
“Me and my brothers came out with a mattress, and she just jumped out on it.
‘She landed OK, not too badly, but I think she might have been injured.
“They are a quiet family – we only knew them to say hello to.”
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, added: “Saima was dragged from the home by her father who went back it to try and save her. It was chaos. I’ve been told he went back in a couple of times to try and save his wife.
“I woke up to the ear-spitting sound of people screaming in terror – it was just horrible. A sound I never want to hear again.
“It is so sad that Naikai has died, she was a lovely, quiet and very well-spoken woman. She is going to be greatly missed.”
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “When crews arrived they found the fire service tackling a large house fire.
“Sadly it quickly became apparent to crews that nothing could be done to save one occupant, a woman, and she was confirmed deceased on scene.
“Five other people were out of the property and needed medical help.
“A teenage girl sustained approximately 70 per cent burns to her body.
“Due to her critical injuries, the doctor sedated the girl on scene in order to stabilise her condition and to enable crews to fully assess and begin treating her burns.
“The girl was taken by land ambulance on blue lights to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham; the doctor travelled with the girl to hospital.
“A 26 year old woman sustained around 50 per cent burns to her back, legs and arms.
“She was given pain relief and fluids by ambulance crews and cooling burns dressings were applied to her wounds before she was alerted to the same hospital for further emergency treatment.
“A woman believed to be in her 20s, who had reportedly jumped from a window, had leg, pelvis, shoulder and neck injuries.
“She was given pain relief, immobilised with a neck collar and spinal board and stabilised by crews before being taken to the same hospital.
“A fourth woman, believed to be in her 20s, sustained minor leg and shoulder injuries and a 55 year old man had minor burns to his face and hands.
“Both were treated by crews before being taken to Heartlands Hospital for further assessment and treatment.”
West Midlands Police Chief Inspector Helen Kirkman, added: “The cause of the fire is unclear at this early stage – a joint investigation is now underway between the police and experts from the Fire Investigation Team to establish how it started.
“It”s understood a family live at the address but all the occupants are still in hospital being treated for their injuries and, as yet, we haven’t been able to speak to them about the fire.”
Any witnesses or anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact West Midlands Police on 101.
