A 16-month-old baby is among four people fighting for their lives after a devastating house fire in Swindon

• e-mail

A 16-month-old baby was among four relatives fighting for their lives after a fire ripped through their home last night.

The blaze in the ground floor of the terraced house was at the centre of a police investigation on Monday to find out whether it had been deliberately started.

Six people were inside the two-storey property and the baby - along with two adults - were rescued by firefighters who went into the burning home wearing breathing apparatus.

Three others in the property had managed to get out but were treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to hospital.

The fire spread across both floors of the property on Sunday night (left) and emergency services rushed to put out the blaze (right) 

A devastating fire at the terraced home in Swindon, Wiltshire, has left four people fighting for their lives

Six fire crews tackled the blaze at the two-storey terraced home in Swindon just before midnight on Sunday 

Fire engines and police raced to the home and pulled the five adults and the baby out from the thick smoke

Fire engines and police raced to the home and pulled the five adults and the baby out from the thick smoke and flames with a fleet of ambulances and air ambulances ferrying them to hospitals.

A 60-year-old man, a 21-year-old woman and the baby were today in a serious condition in different hospitals. 

A third woman, aged 20 years, was in intensive care with serious burns.

A 23-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy were led away from the flames and were taken to hospital but their injuries were described as 'not critical.'

Other residents in the road were evacuated for their own safety to a nearby mosque and were only allowed back in their homes at dawn.

Detectives and specialist firefighters were today appealing for anyone who may have seen anything in the hours leading up to the fire which was fully underway at around midnight, in Manchester Road, Swindon.

The spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: 'Five adults and a child were removed from the property and received emergency medical treatment at the scene.

'A 60 year old man, a 21 year old woman, a baby girl aged 16 months and a woman aged 20 are all in serious conditions in hospital. They were taken to a variety of hospitals including GWH, Southmead and Bristol. 

'In particular, the 20 year old woman is currently in intensive care at Great Western Hospital due to be moved to a specialist hospital.

'A boy aged 13 and a woman aged 23 were also injured and taken to hospital but are not believed to be critical.

'Local residents were evacuated and kept warm at the local mosque. They were allowed back into their homes at approx. 3.40am.

'Later this morning a fire investigation unit along with a police CSI unit will be attending the scene to establish the circumstances. Cordons remain in place around the property but there are no road closures at this time.'

A spokesman for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to a terraced house in Manchester Road at 11.54pm and found the property well alight.

Six fire crews attended, from Stratton, Swindon, Westlea, Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade and firefighters tackled the blaze using two hose reel jets. An incident command vehicle from Stratton was also mobilised.

A spokesman for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to a terraced house in Manchester Road at 11.54pm and found the property well alight

The fire at the address left four people fighting for their lives when it tore through both floors of the home

Three people were out of the property when crews arrived, and a further three were rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.

All six were treated at the scene by South Western Ambulance Service and a BASICS doctor, supported by firefighters, and were taken to hospitals in Bristol and Swindon.

A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said a local community centre was opened during the night to provide shelter for neighbours displaced by the firefighting operation, and the British Red Cross emergency response volunteers based at Swindon fire station attended at the scene to offer support.

Group Manager Dave Jacomb, who attended at the scene, said: 'This was a traumatic incident for all concerned, and I cannot praise enough the professionalism of both the attending firefighters and colleagues in Fire Control.

'We will be working with Wiltshire Police to try and establish what happened - in the meantime, crews will be back on Manchester Road over the course of the day to reassure the community and do follow-up home fire safety checks.'