School pays tribute to ‘gentle’ boy tragically killed in house fire
An 11-year-old schoolboy who tragically died in a house fire in Essex has been named locally as Daniel Ajayi. Daniel was described by his school as a “kind, gentle student” after he sadly died in a fire on March 7.
Fire crews from London Fire Brigade (LFB) rushed to an address in Stern Close, Barking, at around 3.25am on March 7. Crews from multiple locations descended on the scene to try and assist a group of people inside the flat, involving at least 40 firefighters in total.
The fire started in the early hours in a three-bedroom flat on the second floor of the building. Tragically, despite the best efforts of the emergency services, one child was confirmed dead at the scene.
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Two adults and two children left the flat before fire crews arrived and were taken to hospital. Another man was treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service.
MyLondon had previously reported the victim had been named as ‘Daniel’, but his full name has now been revealed after his school launched a GoFundMe to support the family and “help them to rebuild their lives”.
Paying tribute, Daniel’s Head of Year at Riverside School, Victoria Aldis, told MyLondon: “Daniel was a kind, gentle student who was a great friend and regularly made everyone laugh. He was eager to be involved in all parts of school life, playing football every break time and being a key part of eco club.
“He is remembered by staff and students as a kind comedian, constantly putting a smile on everybody’s face, whether that be from a silly joke or from giving someone comfort when they felt alone. Although his time was cut short, he is the perfect example of how the impact a person has on others is not simply measured by time.”
Police are still waiting for a full forensic investigation to be conducted to establish the exact cause of the fire, the force told MyLondon on Monday (March 20). Once this investigation is concluded, a report is likely to be prepared for East London Coroner’s Court in order to hold an inquest into Daniel’s death.
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