大象传媒

The boys arrived home late and Christopher went upstairs, while Andrew decided to make something to eat. The family had a modern, thermostatically controlled deep fryer, but it was broken. It was this tiny twist of fate that led Andrew to make what must have seemed at the time such a minor decision. He reached into the back of the cupboard and pulled out the family's old chip pan.

Upstairs, Christopher realised too late that his home was on fire. He tried twice to get downstairs to find his brother, wrapping pillowcases around his face and hands to protect himself. Both times, he had to return to his bedroom to find breathable air.

By the time the police had picked Lynn up from her sister's and taken her to James Cook Hospital, she knew a body had been found in her house. "when I got to the hospital, Christopher was on a trolley and he was black and I said to him, 'Who else was in there tonight?' and he said to me, 'Just Andrew, Mum'."

The very next morning, James Cook Hospital saw a continual stream of young people turning up with brand new clothes and trainers for Christopher. "That's the thing," said Lynn, "People, and I mean everyone I spoke to after the fire, was brilliant. All those young people turning up with stuff, it was lovely of them."