A girl and her mum killed in a destructive house fire have been described as ‘two peas in a pod’.
Mayci Fox, four, died in the fire at a former station house in Rushton, Northamptonshire.
Her mother Emma Conn, 30, of Desborough, and Louie Thorn, 23, of Rushton, also died in the blaze on Friday night.
A man was arrested on suspicion of murder but he has since been released without charge.
Emma and Mayci’s family have now released a tribute, calling Emma ‘the most incredible, wonderful mum’ and Mayci ‘the happiest little girl you could ever meet’.
They say they are ‘utterly devastated’ by their deaths.
Flames raged at the converted railway station in Beswick Close in Rushton at 10.30pm on Friday.
Mayci, Emma and Louie all died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.
Three police officers were also taken to the hospital after inhaling smoke.
A 54-year-old man from the town of Kettering was arrested on suspicion of murder. He has since been released with no further action.
The family said in their tribute issued through Northamptonshire Police: ‘Emma had a real lust for life. A very big character, bit of a drama queen, but loved the simple things in life especially cheesy chips and hot chocolate with marshmallows from Wendy Lou’s Tea Rooms.
‘She was the most incredible, wonderful mum, who was fiercely loyal and very protective of all those she loved, especially her family.
‘Emma certainly wasn’t shy in coming forward and is the one person you would want in your corner.
‘Emma was a very caring, loving and kind person. She was a carer when she was younger and more recently, cared for her grandad, who she worshipped, before he sadly died last year.
‘When she was younger, Emma excelled at trampolining and competed at a national level all over the country, but she was forced to stop competing following an ankle injury. She had an incredible mindset though, whatever she wanted to achieve, she did.
‘This stood her in good stead throughout her life as despite leaving school without formal qualifications, Emma was a very successful businesswoman. She owned The Lash Lounge & Beauty salon in Desborough, which she made sure was open to everyone.
‘She valued her clients and only allowed one person in the salon at a time to make sure they had her full attention. Emma was well-respected by her clients who often confided in her.
‘Mayci-Moo was the double of her mum – so full of life. She was the happiest little girl you could ever meet.
‘She absolutely adored her grandad, loved swimming and playing mermaids with her grandma.
‘She also had such a special bond with her Auntie Char and Uncle Maz. She loved playing hide and seek with them and she loved the smell of Maz’s aftershave.
‘She was very girly and loved Barbie, always playing the song! Loved to dress up like her mum as well as have her nails done. She never went anywhere without her lip balm!
‘When she went quiet, we knew she was up to something and would find her putting on our make-up, but her favourite thing was getting her face painted. For days afterwards, she would ask us to touch it up to make it last longer.
‘Emma had a tattoo of the Disney character Stitch and Mayci used to love this. She also like to draw, make things and do puzzles.
‘Emma and Mayci will always be loved, lost but never forgotten.
‘As a family we are utterly devastated, it just doesn’t feel real. We are still trying to process what has happened while at the same time grieving for the loss of Emma and Mayci. While we do this, we would please ask that the media respect our privacy.’
Detective Chief Inspector Ruby Burrow described this as a ‘heartbreaking situation’, adding that an ‘incredibly thorough and complex’ investigation is underway.
‘My thoughts, and those of everyone involved in responding to this fire, are with the people who died and those who love them,’ he added.
‘Due to the intensity of the fire we are managing a very challenging and dangerous scene, and are working with partners to safely and respectfully recover the deceased to enable formal identification to take place.
‘We know this incident has also caused significant distress within the Rushton community and I’d like to thank everyone for their assistance and patience while we continue our painstaking work.’
Pictures from the scene show the roof of the home entirely collapsed amid the flames.
A neighbour told the Northamptonshire Telegraph: ‘It’s absolutely shocking. My lad said it was on fire. There was a man who had tried to get in who was outside. It was just an inferno.
‘There were ambulance, police and fire. I don’t know the people who live there but all we can do is hope and pray.’
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A cordon has been set up around the property while the investigation continues.
There are road closures in the area on Station Road between Desborough Road and Oakley Road, including roads off Station Road.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service added in a statement: ‘Emergency services remain at the scene of this fire and we’re asking people to continue to avoid the area, with road closures in place in Station Road between Desborough Road and Oakley Road.’
The house previously served as a train station, with a train line running behind the building.
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