Police release youth, 17, in inquiry into arson that killed two children

(PA)

A police investigation into a house fire which left two children dead was continuing last night after a 17-year-old boy arrested in connection with the incident was released.

Niamh and Cayden Maynard, aged five and two, died in the fire at their home in Buxton, Derbyshire, on Friday night. Their mother, 23-year-old Fiona Adams, jumped to safety from a bedroom window on to a trampoline with her eight-month-old son Kiernan.

Police said they had attended the address several times over the past three years concerning domestic-related incidents. The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been informed of the incident. It was also reported that officers had attended the house just an hour before the fire started after reports that youths outside the property had made threats.

A short while later Ms Adams posted a message on Facebook which read: "You can smash the windows and the car but you won't get me and the kids."

The fire, which is being treated as arson, started 45 minutes later. Yesterday, police said both Ms Adams and her son were stable in hospitals in Manchester. It is believed the children's father, James Maynard, was at work at the time of the incident.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill, of Derbyshire Police, said: "After a thorough investigation, I am satisfied that this 17-year-old is not involved in the fire.

"The police investigation is still very much ongoing and the help and co-operation of the community is pivotal to it being successful," he added.