Heartbroken mum’s agonising tribute to girl, 4, killed in fire that left little sister, 2, injured as she’s pictured
A HEARTBROKEN mum has shared a tribute to her four-year-old daughter who died in a horror house fire.
Kiana-Lee Wallace, known as Kiki, was tragically trapped in the blaze at a property in Lynemouth, Northumberland, on Monday evening, with her mum and two-year-old sister managing to escape.
The mum remains in hospital in a stable condition and her tot has been discharged.
Kiki's devastated mum shared a heart-wrenching tribute on Facebook with a collage of pictures.
"I miss you baby girl, fly high and rest easy my gorgeous angel," she wrote alongside photographs of her little girl.
Kiki's family also issued another heart-breaking tribute today, saying: "We are absolutely broken as a family to have lost our beloved Kiki (Kiana-Lee) in this tragic way.
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"She is the biggest smiling star in our lives."
Tributes, including balloons and candles, have also been left outside the semi-detached property.
Police and fire crews responded to calls from the scene on Kingsley Road at around 9.30pm, and a cordon was put in place.
'IT WAS TERRIFYING'
Neighbour Karen Coulson said her partner Steve bravely tried to battle through the blaze and used a garden hose to douse the flames and try save the child from the kitchen.
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She told The Sun: “My daughter came to visit. She lives up the road. As she was getting further down she smelled burning but she didn’t know where it was coming from.
“She came in the house and yelled ‘Dad, there’s a fire’.
“He came running out and tried to get into the sitting room on his hands and knees but he couldn’t go any further because of the heat.
"The ceiling was coming down on him so he had to get out.
“He spoke to the young woman and said ‘where’s your other child’.
"She told him she was in the kitchen. Then he got the garden hose and tried to hose down the kitchen until the fire brigade arrived 10 minutes later.
“It was terrifying.”
The child’s mother, understood to be in her 20s, and who escaped with her youngest daughter, was “screaming” after being moved away from the blaze.
Mrs Coulson, 58, added: “It was heartbreaking knowing that child was in there but we just couldn’t get in.
“It’s just so tragic and it happened so fast. The kitchen was ablaze but then out of nowhere it spread so fast.
“If the kitchen door had been open then I think my husband would have fought the flames to get her.
“I’m just so pleased the mother got one of her children out but you can’t imagine what she’s going through.
The kitchen was ablaze but then out of nowhere it spread so fast. If the kitchen door had been open then I think my husband would have fought the flames to get her.
Karen Coulson
“We tried to comfort her until the ambulance came. She was in a bad way. She was screaming and hysterical.”
Fellow neighbour Carrie Scott was one of the first on the scene as the blaze ripped through the house.
She said: "I shouted 'I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming'
"I got in through the gate but the smoke was that thick I couldn't enter.
"My husband, my brother-in-law and our neighbour, they all tried to enter but even covering their faces, they couldn't get far in.
"I was doing everything I could to keep mum calm - holding her up, telling her 'everything was going to be okay' and knowing in my heart that it wasn't.
"And it wasn't just a child they lost, it was the family pet as well."
She added: "We have no words - we're going over it in our minds, talking it out with each other. Why did it happen? It should never have happened.
"There's not going to be any real closure, even if we do find out the cause of the fire, there's not going to be any closure for us, and not for the family because they now have to live without their child, without that child to hold and to grow up."
Floral tributes to the young girl were left outside the smoke-scarred terraced house.
One read: “Taken so young. Go play with the balloons in the sky. The village is devastated.”
Another wrote: “Sleep tight little angel. Taken far too soon. You are in all our thoughts.”
Locals in Lynemouth are donating clothes, cash, toys and Easter eggs to support the two year old who survived the blaze.
The youngster remains in hospital along with her mother.
A neighbour, who gave her name only as Elizabeth, said: “I could smell smoke but I thought it was log burner.
“When I walked past I could see the windows were red, and I screamed for help.
“My dad tried his God damn best to get in there but the heat was too much.”
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Jenkins said: "First and foremost, our thoughts are with Kiana-Lee’s loved ones and friends at this tragic time.
"We would ask that their privacy at this incredibly difficult time is respected as they grieve."
Det Ch Insp Jenkins added: “Our investigation remains ongoing and we are committed to establishing exactly what happened, and how Kiana-Lee came to pass away.
“Our work at the scene continues and we are still keen to hear from anyone who has information which may help our enquiries.
“We also ask people to avoid speculation both online and in the community following such a tragic incident.”
A spokesperson for Northumberland Fire and Rescue said: "We were called to a report of a house fire in Kingsley Road, Lynemouth at 9.16pm last night.
"Three fire appliances attended and the fire was extinguished a short time later. Enquiries are continuing alongside Northumbria Police."
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Police have urged anyone with information to get in touch via social media, live chat, or the report forms on their website.
Alternatively, people can call 101, quoting reference NP-20250317-1107.
