Daughter of woman killed in Sedgley fire thanks community for generosity and support

Flowers were laid outside the home of "Sedgley's Scottish queen", named locally as Michelle, who was killed in the fire on Saturday afternoon.

Michelle, 43, was one of three people caught in the fire in Beacon Lane which West Midlands Police has since confirmed is not being treated as suspicious.

Beth Simcox, her daughter, said on a post on social media: "To all those who have sent the lovely messages all day and all yesterday, us as a family couldn't thank you all enough for everything that everyone has been doing and how everyone is helping my dad and sister with essentials that are needed.

"We can't thank Michelle Allen enough for the GoFundMe page that she put as soon as she found out about it to help cover funeral costs – we can't put into words how much me, my dad and brother thank you for all the generosity we have received."

Beth added that the funeral will be for close and immediate family only, due to the Covid-19 restrictions, but said something would be arranged in future for everyone to pay their respects.

She added: "I hope you all understand since I know how well known my mom was round Sedgley and Scotland and I know there will be a lot of people that will want to attend, but as I said with the restrictions we can't unfortunately... I'm sure we will arrange something at some point to get together as a community for those who was close with my mum.

"I'll say it again – us as a family can't put into [words] how much we thank you for the help we have received since the news about our loss was out it means a whole lot to us as a family. I will be keeping close friends of the family and those I know my mom was close to all updated on the news of Demi and about my mum as well. I'll say it again thank you to everyone who has helped out it means more than you know."

A 16-year-old girl was badly burned in the blaze but survived, along with a 43-year-old man who was also inside the house.

The end-terrace house, on Beacon Lane, has been boarded up now the investigation is complete, while the brickwork has been stained black following the blaze.

On Monday morning, floral tributes were building up outside the property, with heartfelt messages left from neighbours and friends who described her as "loved" and someone who "had time for everyone on the street".

In the wake of the tragic death, the Sedgley community has rallied together to raise funds and gather clothes and practical items to help the family.

The man and the girl involved in the fire both managed to get out before emergency services arrived but, despite the efforts of locals who brought ladders and braved smoke to try and get Michelle out, she was trapped in the flames and pronounced dead at the scene.

Praising the efforts of residents, Neil Griffiths, from West Midlands Fire Service, told the BBC: "What showed yesterday was the passion of the local community, the care that they showed. You've got local residents putting ladders up to try and rescue the people. That describes how severe the incident was.

"On a scale of one to 10 this is a 10 in severity for us, you can see the windows were blown out, the windows were all melted, pretty much everything inside is destroyed."

A fundraiser for the family involved has already raised more than £8,000 from more than 480 donors. To donate, visit gofundme.com/f/horrific-sedgley-house-fire