Mother tells how schoolgirl tried in vain to save little brother from fire

A GRIEVING mother has praised the bravery of her daughter, who tried in vain to rescue her younger brother from the blaze that claimed the life of her "little ray of sunshine".

Six-year-old Aiden Owens was killed when a fire ripped through his family home in the Highlands because he was too scared to jump to safety.

His mother, Laura Davidson, and his sister, Chloe, 11, survived after Ms Davidson was rescued by a neighbour and Chloe leapt to safety from a first-floor window of their blazing home in Milton, near Invergordon.

Speaking for the first time about the tragedy, on 26 June, Ms Davidson revealed how her daughter had braved the dense smoke and flames to reach her brother. Chloe managed to get hold of Aiden and cuddled him as the fire raged, but he ran off because he was so scared.

Ms Davidson, who is now recovering from the tragedy at her parents' home in Alness, said: "I just miss him so much - he was my little ray of sunshine."

She said that on the night of the fatal blaze Aiden had left one of his front teeth under his pillow for the tooth fairy.

"Every night before they go to sleep I always tell my kids I love them," she said.

"The night before he died I told Aiden I loved him and he said 'I love you to the moon and back again.' He was a little angel. He was just the most amazing boy.

"Wherever he went he made somebody smile. I was proud to have called him my son."

Aiden, she said, had only recently moved back into the bedroom he shared with his nine-year-old brother Dylan, after it had been redecorated. But on the night of the tragedy Dylan was staying with his grandparents.

Ms Davidson, 28, said she had woken up in the middle of the night and could smell what she thought was burning plastic.

"I jumped out of bed and went to the bedroom door. I opened it but the smoke kept me back and everything was well alight," she said.

"I shouted to the kids to get up and to get out the window - I told them to shout for help."

She also praised the bravery of neighbour Michael Waters, who rushed to the rescue when the alarm was raised around 2:30am on the Sunday when residents heard what they thought was an explosion.

Mr Waters climbed on to someone's shoulders to reach Ms Davidson at the first-floor window of the bedroom where she was trapped.

She said: "He came through and helped me to get out. He tried to reach the kids but the smoke was too bad. He risked his life to help us.

"I didn't want to leave the house but I heard Chloe had got out so I thought they had Aiden as well. I didn't want to leave the house with Aiden inside."She continued: "Chloe jumped out of the window and landed on the grass. I don't know if I could have been that brave. She told me it was either that, or she choked to death from the smoke.

"She said she managed to get hold of Aiden at one point and just cuddled him - but he ran off, he was so scared."

Chloe broke three vertebrae in her back in her jump but recovered to attend Saturday's JLS concert in Dingwall, where balloons were released in Aiden's memory.

Ms Davidson said the cause of the fire had still to be established but she knew it had started in the kitchen.