Hero grandmother reached front door during house fire but went back upstairs to try and rescue the three young children where they all died, inquest hears

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'Immensely brave': Grandmother Shabina Begum, pictured, tried to rescue her three young children

 

A grandmother who died in a house fire alongside four members of her family had the chance to escape but went back upstairs to try and rescue her three grandchildren, an inquest has heard.

Shabina Begum, 53, died with her grandchildren, Adyan Parwaiz Kayani, nine, Amaan Parwaiz Kayani, seven, and their nine-week-old sister Minahil in the blaze at the family home in Sheffield.

Her daughter, 20-year-old Anum Parwaiz, who was the children's aunt, also died in the fire, which started in the downstairs living room.

Mrs Begum was today described as 'immensely brave' after the inquest heard how she tried to fight the flames before opening the front door.

But instead of walking out to safety, she turned around and walked back upstairs to help her grandchildren, one of her daughters, Sadaf Parwaiz, told the inquest.  

Sheffield Coroner Chris Dorries said to her: 'Your mother had the opportunity to escape from the house, didn’t she? But she was very brave, wasn’t she, and she went back upstairs?'

Mr Dorries also asked investigator Detective Constable Joe Hall about Mrs Begum’s actions and the police officer agreed she was 'immensely brave'.

Seven-year-old Amaan Parwaiz Kayani was found dead under his bunk bed in the attic, where he had tried to hide from the flames, the inquest heard. The baby was wrapped up in her cot.

Mrs Begum and nine-year-old Adyan were discovered by firefighters on the landing and Ms Parwaiz was found in a first floor bedroom. 

A fire investigator described how crews encountered temperatures in excess of 1,000C, saying it was 'the most severe, hottest and most difficult atmosphere [they] have had to work in'.

Sadaf Parwaiz told the inquest she noticed a 'sparkle' in the lounge at the rear of the house when she came down to collect her mobile phone shortly after midnight on April 28 last year.  

She said: 'I saw a sparkle at first near the sofa where the electrical things were. At first I didn’t think it was a fire, I thought it was a toy flashing.'

Sadaf said she tried to extinguish the flames with a cushion, then called her mother when it failed to work.

'She tried to put it out with her own hands then went to the kitchen to get some water, but I didn’t see where she threw it,' she said. 

She said it quickly developed into a fire after electrical equipment in the room exploded. 

The inquest heard how Mrs Begum then unlocked the door before running upstairs to try and rescue her young grandchildren. 

The mother of the three children, Razia Nazim Kayani, told the court how she came downstairs after hearing a scream before seeing flames on one side of the living room. 

Tragic: Adyan Parwaiz Kayani, nine, left, Amaan Parwaiz Kayani, seven, centre, and their nine-week-old sister Minahil all died in the house fire. Amaan was found under his bunk bed, where he was hiding from the flames

Scene: A fire investigator described how crews encountered temperatures in excess of 1,000C, saying it was 'the most severe, hottest and most difficult atmosphere [they] have had to work in'. Above, the charred house

A statement read by coroner Mr Dorries said: 'She heard Shabina scream. She came down the stairs and saw flames by the sofa.  

'She heard Anum screaming upstairs from her bedroom. Shabina shouted "bring the kids down".'

Mrs Kayani left the house after Mrs Begum unlocked the door and was met by three neighbours.

The statement continued: 'She described a blast coming from the house which she likened to the noise of a bomb on television. 

'The fire brigade arrived and brought out the children attempting to resuscitate them.'

Fatal fire: Anum Parwaiz, 20, who was the children's aunt, was found in a first floor bedroom

The court heard how Mrs Kayani paid tribute to her sons, saying: 'Adyan liked Manchester United and Amaan liked Liverpool. He had won a trophy for playing football.'

Adyan was found by rescue crews on the upstairs landing alongside his grandmother Shabina. Amaan was found hiding under his bunk bed.

Fire officer for South Yorkshire Fire confirmed to the coroner that 'children often try and hide and find a place of safety when they are scared. It’s a natural reaction to the danger they are in'. 

Fire investigator Andrew Strelczenie confirmed the fire started in the family’s living room in a corner by the sofa.

He said electrical items in the corner of the room were the most charred and were taken away for inspection by crews after the devastating blaze. 

He said: 'The incident itself had all the hallmarks of a rapidly spreading fire. There was deep charring to the skirting boards which would support that the fire may have started at a low level.'

Mr Strelczenie told the inquest it was the largest loss of life South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue had handled for a number of years and said, 'it's taken quite some time to get over it'.

He described how firefighters encountered temperatures in excess of 1,000C, saying it was 'the most severe, hottest and most difficult atmosphere the crews have had to work in'.  

Forensic electrical engineer Peter Jowett said there was no hard evidence pointing towards specific devices as being the cause of the flames. 

Mr Dorries expressed his gratitude to the fire crews saying their bravery had been 'valiant'.

He said: 'I know that if people talk of brave conduct of brave fire fighters they often say "it's my job". But I think your crew went beyond the job and made valiant efforts to rescue here.

'It's my intention to commend your crew. Thank you very much for what you did here.'

The inquest is due to finish tomorrow.