A BOY aged six was killed when a fire ripped through a family home in the Highlands.
Aiden Owens was left trapped in the inferno as his mother, Laura, and older sister Chloe, 11, escaped by jumping out of a first-floor window in the early hours of yesterday.
Neighbours who saw the family at the window screaming were forced back by the intensity of the flames and billowing smoke as they attempted a rescue.
The tragedy at Milton, near Invergordon, was still being probed last night by police and fire investigators. Police have refused to rule out foul play and say the fire is "unexplained".
The alarm was raised at 2.27am when neighbours heard an explosion. Around 20 firefighters fought the blaze. Ambulance crews took the woman and child to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, where Chloe is being treated for spinal injuries after their jump from the burning building.
Police last night confirmed remains of a body were found in the remains of the housing association propert y.
A spokeswoman said: "We believe them to be of the six-year-old boy."
A neighbour who didn't wish to be named said: "It was terrible. We heard a massive blast, like dynamite. I ran to the house and tried with others to get in, but the fire was just too hot. Others were pulling people away.
"It took some time for the fire engines to arrive, so we were trying to do what we could.
"The girl was then thrown from the first-floor window, followed by Laura. She landed badly and broke her arm and hurt her back." He added: "The was no chance for the wee lad. It is tragic. He went to school with my kids.
Another neighbour said: "We saw them at the bedroom window screaming. By the time the fire brigade arrived we had put a mattress on the ground for them to jump out of the bedroom. The roof was well ablaze by this point.
"Laura and Chloe jumped but the wee boy was still in the house. We last saw him in the bedroom, but he wouldn't jump.
"The oldest boy, Dylan, was thankfully staying with his granny Isabel in Alness."
Local councillor Maxine Smith said: "This is tragic news and I know there will be a full investigation by the appropriate services as to the cause of this fire.
"I am really concerned for the family involved and my thoughts are with them at this sad time."
Police are trying to contact the boy's father, who is estranged from his mother, and is thought to live in England.
Article Source KBG Test Blog (http://rc.kbg.me)
