A MOTHER held her four-year old-daughter in her arms behind a locked bedroom window moments before they died in a blaze at their Causeway home in Petersfield in the early hours of yesterday (Thursday) morning. They have been named as 43-year-old Barbara Deaville and her daughter Olivia. The family had lived at the house for around 10 years. A neighbour said Mrs Deaville was a full-time mum and her family meant everything to her. Her husband Peter, an immigration officer, and their 10- year-old daughter Sophia escaped the blaze through a back door. They were being treated at The Queen Alexandra Hospital as The Herald went to press on Thursday morning. Neighbours told of Peter Deaville's anguish as he called his wife's and daughter's names and desperately tried to get back into the house to save them. As fire investigators began their grisly examination of the house, it emerged that the keys to the locked windows were not easily to hand. Safety experts are calling on every householder in Petersfield to have escape plans in place to avoid a repeat of this double tragedy. Chris Jenner, crew manager with Petersfield Firefighters, was one of the first to arrive on the scene. He told The Herald: "This was the worst fire I have ever attended in all my years with the fire service. "Any death is a tragedy, but when there are children involved, it's unbearable." "Having children of my own, it was very, very distressing indeed." On Thursday morning, he said firefighters' first thoughts were with the bereaved family. He said fire crews wearing breathing apparatus had battled through very dense smoke and extreme temperatures to conduct a thorough search of the house. "At one point, crews had to evacuate the house because of the extreme heat and the danger of a flashover spontaneously igniting the room. "But the crews were very quickly back in the house. They found the adult and child in a bedroom and they were taken out to waiting paramedics." He said five fire engines and 40 firefighters attended - two engines from Petersfield, one from Horndean, Waterlooville and Cosham. Firefighters, who were called out at 2-10 am, believe the couple woke to discover their home filled with smoke. They believe the couple split up to rescue their daughters with Peter Deaville rushing to the aid of 10-year-old Sophia and his wife gathering up little Olivia. Although her husband was able to escape downstairs, Mrs Deaville became trapped with her daughter upstairs as fire raged below in their three- bedroom, semi-detached house. It was the first death due to fire in Petersfield for more than 20 years, according to Mark Jones, of Hampshire Fire and Rescue. "Unfortunately this family's security was so good. They could not escape from the house in time," he said. "We think the fire started in the lounge on the ground floor. The family were in the bedrooms upstairs at the time. "We think the parents woke and split up to get one of their daughters each. The mother went into the bedroom to rescue the four year old, but the windows were all locked up and there were no keys available." "Whether it got too hot or whether the mother didn't want to take the risk of going down the stairs, I don't know. But they would have had to come down through the fire, just to get out." "When the firefighters found them, they passed the four year old out of the window upstairs, which they had to smash first. The mother was taken down the stairs." Both were unconscious, having passed out from smoke inhalation when they were taken from the house. They were given oxygen as paramedics tried in vain to resuscitate them, but tragically it was too late. They were rushed to The Queen Alexandra Hospital, but were pronounced dead on arrival. The fire service spokesman told The Herald on Thursday morning that police and fire investigators were now in the house trying to discover the cause. They are checking to see if the fire alarm had batteries fitted.
