Smoke inhalation killed mother and daughters

LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) A mother and her four daughters who died in a fire deliberately started in their home were killed by smoke inhalation, post mortems revealed today.

Victims Caneze Riaz, 39 and her children: 16-year-old Sayrah, Sophia 15, Alicia 10 and Hannah, who was three, all died in the early yesterday morning blaze in Accrington, Lancashire.

Detectives believe the fire was started by someone inside the house and are waiting to interview Mohammed Riaz, husband of the dead woman and father of the four girls, who was rescued from the fierce blaze.

The 49-year-old is critically ill in hospital.

The Sun newspaper reported a friend of Alicia Riaz received a frantic phone call from the terrified youngster after the fire had taken hold.

The tabloid said Alicia told her friend: ''I can smell smoke and I think we're going to die.'' She said she could not wake her parents.

Initial investigations into the fire show there were several start-points to the blaze and that the property was locked from the inside, police have said. Accelerants had been used.

A fifth child, 17-year-old Adam Riaz, survived because he was in hospital being treated for leukaemia.

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