Teens arrested after woman dies in house fire caused by firework

Following the death of a 59-year-old women in Cornwall, UK, police have arrested three teenagers on suspicion of murder. The woman is said to have died in a fire started by a firework pushed through her letterbox.

Mother of nine, Mary Fox, died on Thursday night in the fire at her house in Wallace Road, Bodmin. Police are treating this as murder. Three teens, an eighteen year old and two seventeen years old from the Bodmin area have been arrested and are all being held on suspicion of murder. They are currently waiting to be interviewed by police. Ms Fox helped her seventeen year old son Raum escape the property via a window and the teen raised the alert that his mother was still in the burning property. Police believe that the fire at the property was started by a firework that had been pushed through the front door. The remains of a firework was found behind the front door and was taken away for investigation. Some of Ms Fox's neighbours have reported that she and her son, who is said to have learning difficulties, were harassed by local youths but police have played down those reports saying that the Fox family had made no complaints to that effect and that there was no evidence of any bullying or intimidation towards Mary Fox or her son. They said those suggestions were "purely speculation" and were "unfounded". Over the weekend police investigating the fire and death revealed that they would examine on line social networking sites as part of their investigations. It was speculated that the identities of those responsible had been posted on the Internet and names were being "bandied about". At the beginning of the investigation a police spokesman said that the "key to solving the murder inquiry" lay with the Bodmin local community. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Burgan confirmed that officers were "investigation some positive leads from the community in Bodmin". Over the weekend police stepped up patrols in the Berryfields estate, where Mary Fox and her son lived. Door to door enquiries were also held there over the weekend. Used fireworks found in the streets were also collected as potential evidence. Detectives investigating the murder say that although they have made arrests they are still in the early stages of their investigations and continue to appeal for information from the public. Mary Fox, described as a "loving, caring and self-sacrificing woman" by other family members, is believed to have gone back into the house to rescue her cat after helping her son escape the flames. Her teenage son, having escaped the house, ran to alert neighbours that his mother was still inside but Mary Fox had died, fire-fighters found her as they entered the property. Floral tributes were being laid outside the family home. The mayor of Bodmin, Bob Micek said that the whole community was "shocked". He carried on to say about the community, "They're quite traumatised actually about the whole thing. It's not something we'd expect to happen in our town and it's not something we'd expect to happen nowadays on Berryfields Estate."