NEIGHBOURS of the Riaz family have spoken of their efforts to free them as the fatal blaze swept through their end-terrace house.
They were alerted to the tragedy unfolding in Tremellen Street by the screams of the four daughters, Sayrah, 16, Sophia, 15, Alicia, 10 and little Hannah, aged just three.
They say the sound of the children's cries will haunt them forever.
Mr Mohammed Hussain, the Riaz's next-door neighbour, said: "I was at home awake watching the football highlights but fell asleep.
"I woke up at 1.45am when I heard the screaming but you don't think your neighbours are on fire.
"I looked outside and people were rushing across. I came down with my wife and saw them knocking on my door. All the smoke was coming from my roof and chimney.
"We did everything we could. We tried to break the door and called the fire brigade .
"All you could hear was screaming. As soon as the window blew out they stopped screaming. Everything happened so quickly."
He added: "It plays on my mind that it could have been my kids.
"It does come back to haunt me and I hear it when I go to sleep. I feel weird when I walk past the house."
First to raise the alarm was a young man who lived across the street.
The man, who does not wish to be named, said: "I'd just got back from my brother's. There was nothing unusual about the house when I walked past.
"I got home and I could hear screaming from the window. I ran up to the door and tried to kick it down.
"One of the lads had parked his car round the corner and no-one knew anything about it until the girls start screaming."
Family friend and neighbour Amjad Mahmood said: "My friend came in at 1.30am and could hear them screaming.
"He woke everyone up and we tried to break the door but it was so hard we couldn't break it.
"We called the police and fire brigade straight away."
