The relatives of a mother and her three children killed in a house fire have described them as "loved beyond measure".
Elisha Brabin, 36, and her children Leo Brabin, 16, Ellis Brabin, eight, and seven-year-old Prudence Brabin, died in the Bootle, Merseyside incident early on Tuesday, Merseyside Police confirmed.
In a statement released as a tribute, their family said they are "devastated" by the loss.
They said: “Elisha was our beloved daughter, wife, mother, sister, auntie, niece and cousin. She was a devoted and loving mother who lived for her children. They were her whole world, and she meant everything to us.
“Our beautiful babies, Leo, Ellis and Prudence, were loved beyond measure and brought so much joy, happiness and love to our family. They filled our lives with laughter and precious memories that we will cherish forever.
“The tragic loss of Elisha and our three precious children has left us heartbroken. They have all been taken from us far too soon. The loss we are experiencing is unimaginable, and the impact on our family will be felt forever.”
On Wednesday, flowers had been left at the scene in tribute to the family.
A number of soft toys, including Minecraft and Star Wars characters, were laid on the pavement next to a police cordon, along with candles, pink and blue star-shaped balloons and photo frames showing images of the family.
One card had the message: “God bless you all. Heartbroken to hear about the devastating fire.”
Another said: “Sleep tight. Forever in our hearts.”
Crews were called to the blaze just before 3.45am on Tuesday and found the semi-detached house well alight, a spokesman for the fire service said.
Chief fire officer Nick Searle described it as an “intense fire which spread very rapidly”.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said the four victims were found in an upstairs bedroom of the semi-detached home, on Stone Square, by crews who went in to tackle the fire.
A fifth casualty was taken to hospital suffering from burns, the fire service said.
A joint investigation with Merseyside Police is under way to establish the cause of the fire.
More to follow...
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