Fire tragedy will haunt residents

THE RESIDENTS of the block of flats at Cunningham Place in St John s Wood will find it difficult to get into the festive spirit this year after a tragedy which has stunned the community. A fire, the cause of which is being investigated by police, claimed

THE RESIDENTS of the block of flats at Cunningham Place in St John's Wood will find it difficult to get into the festive spirit this year after a tragedy which has stunned the community.

A fire, the cause of which is being investigated by police, claimed the lives of five-year-old Farah Rashid and her 14-year-old brother, who died after jumping from the third floor in an attempt to escape the inferno.

Two other children in the family and their 44-year-old father are in hospital following this dreadful incident which is all the more tragic and poignant because it has happened in a week when children everywhere are looking forward with excitement to the festive season.

Spare a thought, too, for the fire officers who attended what proved to be one of the most serious incidents some of them will ever have to deal with. It was they who discovered the body of the little girl after the lives of two of her brothers had been saved by the bravery and expertise of the fire crews.

We should never take the work of the emergency services for granted, especially at this time of year when they make themselves available for duty - and demanding duty it is - while the vast majority of people are thinking only of rest, relaxation and indulgence.