New Details Revealed About Death of Girl, 13, Who Was Burned While Sleeping on Her Bunk Bed By Charlotte Phillipp

New details have emerged about the 13-year-old girl who was killed in a house fire in England last year — and investigators now believe the blaze may have been set intentionally.

According to reports from The Telegraph and Metro.co.uk, investigators said at an inquest hearing that Layla Allen of Prescot, Merseyside, made no attempt to escape the fire that engulfed her bed in April 2025.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service investigator Ruth Baller-Wilson said at the hearing that it was “likely she was asleep at the time” of the fire, which her parents and five siblings survived.

Investigators added during the hearing that it’s likely that a lighter was used to set Layla’s bedding on fire, but the exact circumstances of the blaze are still unknown.

“It’s difficult to determine the exact sequence of events; however, the burn pattern suggests this fire ignited on the bunk bed,” Baller-Wilson said, per Metro, adding that the blaze began on the top bunk and “developed within the bedding before it spread to the mattress, supported by the oxygen from an open window by the bed.”

“Layla was a fit, healthy 13-year-old; she wasn’t trapped, and there was no reason why she wouldn’t have at least been able to get down from the bunk, even if it was on fire,” she added. “Therefore, I believe it’s more likely she was asleep at the time.”

“If Layla did start the fire herself, there would be no reason why she wouldn’t escape the room. It’s possible that her clothes may have ignited, but I still would have expected her to get herself down from the bunk and attempt self-rescue,” Baller-Wilson said.

According to the Merseyside Police, Layla died after the fire in Kingsway, Prescot, on April 2, 2025, at about 11:42 p.m. local time.

In a previous news release, police said firefighters found a blaze located in the first-floor rear bedroom of a mid-terraced house. The fire was extinguished by 12:30 a.m.

Coroner Anita Bhardwaj said police “cannot rule anything out” in the case, as Layla’s parents have refused to allow their other children to be interviewed about the incident, which has “prevented [police] from gathering further evidence.”

Investigators also said during the inquest hearing that another “member of the family” set fire to a different bed in the house using a lighter six months prior to Layla’s death.

“That was in one of the bedrooms at the front of the house. It was believed to be [caused by] a lighter,” Baller-Wilson said. “It did cause considerable damage, and there was smoke to the front of the house.”

According to the fire and rescue investigator, fire officials offered to refer Layla’s family to SAFE (Safety Advice and Fire Education), but “safe interventions were declined” by Layla’s mother, and the incident was “put down to a child playing with a lighter.”

“I’m concerned about the fact that there has been a second fire within such a short period of time, and I’m glad that social services are involved, because there are clearly highlighted issues,” Bhardwaj said, per the outlets.

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The ruling at the hearing eventually ended with an open verdict, as the coroner said she didn’t “have sufficient evidence to make findings of fact to reach any conclusion other than an open conclusion.”

“There are too many unanswered questions here. We don’t know what actually happened. We don’t know who started the actual fire,” she said, per The Telegraph.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of you as a family, for the children, to have the input of the fire services to give you guidance and support in keeping the children safe,” Bhardwaj added. “This is the second fire in similar circumstances within a very, very short period of time involving lighters, and this time the sad consequence was Layla’s death.”