Sheffield fatal fire: Brothers 'absolute treasures'

Flowers have been left in Wake Road, Sheffield, near to the house where Adhyan and Amaan Parwaiz Kayani died in the fire along with their baby sister, aunt and grandmother

Two children killed in a house fire in Sheffield were "absolute treasures", their head teacher has said.

Adhyan and Amaan Parwaiz Kayani, aged nine and seven, died on Monday along with their baby sister, aunt and grandmother.

About 25 firefighters tackled the blaze at the house in Wake Road, Sharrow.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said it was still trying to establish the cause of the fire but did not believe it was started deliberately.

The brothers went to Lydgate Junior School. Head teacher Stuart Jones said pupils had been told what happened and were being supported by staff.

Mr Jones said Adhyan was an "indomitable spirit".

"He was probably the most disarmingly honest child that I will ever know," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"The joy Adhyan showed, the delight in things, the fun he took out of stuff he did and was interested in was just marvellous and it's the sort of thing that make teachers want to be teachers all their lives.

"His younger brother Amaan only joined us in September and in a way they were chalk and cheese.

"Where Adhyan was known by everybody because he was one of those larger than life characters, Amaan's really quiet, but a beautiful child with a smile that would melt any adult that knew him."

Flowers have been left at the scene of the fire, which also killed Shabbina Begum, 54, her daughter Anum Parwaiz Kayani, and a nine-week-old baby girl.

About 25 firefighters tackled the blaze on Monday

The children's mother, Razia Nazim Kayani, escaped the fire, which began shortly after midnight, and their father Nazim Parqaiz Kayani, a taxi driver, was at work at the time.

A police cordon remains in place in Wake Road, a street of mostly terraced houses, as the investigation into the cause of the fire continues.

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: "Investigations by specialist fire and police investigators have continued throughout the day, but so far nothing has been found which suggests the fire was started deliberately.

"Efforts continue to establish the exact cause of the fire, which is believed to have started on the ground floor, and our thoughts remain with all those affected by this tragedy."

Ch Supt David Hartley of South Yorkshire Police said officers were "offering support to the local community who are understandably struggling to come to terms with this terrible tragedy".