Four die in Bootle house fire as investigation opens

Four people died after a fire tore through a semidetached house on Stone Square in Bootle, Merseyside, in the early hours of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed. Crews were alerted at 3.38am and arrived seven minutes later, at 3.45am, to find the property "well alight." Six fire engines attended at the height of the blaze, and eight firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the building to search for occupants and fight the fire with hose reel jets. Two members of the North West Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team also entered the property with firefighters. During the search, firefighters discovered four casualties in an upstairs bedroom showing no signs of life. All four were confirmed to have died. A casualty was already outside the property on the crews' arrival and was taken into the care of North West Ambulance Service before being transferred to hospital suffering from burns. Chief fire officer Nick Searle said from the scene that a 999 call reached the fire control room at 3.30am, with crews from surrounding stations mobilised and the first engine arriving at 3.45am. He said the fire had spread very rapidly.