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Two parents and their child have been killed by a fire in a housing association-owned house in Exeter.
Authorities were called to a fire at a property on Clayton Road, Exeter, owned by 1,300-home landlord Cornerstone Housing, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Kaylie Rudge, 28, Daniel Rudge, 29, and their four-year-old daughter, Lillie-Rose Rudge, all lost their lives in the fire.
Three other children, including a nine-year-old boy and a four-year-old boy – Lillie-Rose’s twin brother – are being treated at Bristol Children’s Hospital. A seven-year-old girl remains in a critical condition.
Police are treating the cause of the fire as non-suspicious and found no evidence of third-party involvement following an examination of the scene.
It has been confirmed that the fire started in a downstairs room and no faults have been found with any electrical appliances or wiring.
The investigation remains underway in support of the coronial process, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
There has been no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Cornerstone.
A spokesperson for Cornerstone said: “Words can’t express how devastated we feel at Cornerstone Housing about the fatal fire today in one of our houses at Clayton Road, Exeter.
“This is such a terrible tragedy. Our hearts go out to the family’s relatives, friends and the whole of the local community. We will do whatever we can to help and support them at this awful time.
“Our thoughts are also with the emergency services who dealt with this heartbreaking scene.”
Superintendent Antony Hart said: “The circumstances of this tragic incident have touched the hearts of all of those who were involved in the emergency response, those who know the family and the wider community.
“Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time, and they are being supported by specialist officers.
“We ask that the privacy of those who are grieving is respected.”
Lee Howell, chief fire officer at Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, said: “Our hearts go out to everyone who knew the family involved in the fire in Exeter yesterday.
“It’s an incredibly sad time for the city and our community. Our thoughts are with the children who are still critically ill in hospital and the lives of those who have been changed forever by this fire.
“I’m very proud of the actions of our fire control operators and the crews from Danes Castle, Middlemoor, Clyst St George and Crediton who worked so bravely to try and save the lives of those involved and all those support staff and officers who helped resolve this incident.
“They have been offered support following such a traumatic incident. The support from police and ambulance service colleagues was so important and I’m grateful to everyone who tried to help in any way.
“We would ask everyone reading this message to consider safety in your home and take simple steps, such as regularly testing your smoke alarms. Along with the sadness of what happened, we know that many people will be feeling worried about their safety.
“We will be sharing more safety advice over the coming days for parents and children.”
Phil Bialyk, leader of Exeter City Council, said: “This is tragic news that will impact the whole of the city. Our hearts go out to the family.
“Thank you to the emergency services. We will of course do anything we can to support the community.”
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