A father and his ten-year-old daughter who perished in a caravan fire early yesterday have been pictured and named as Lee and Esme Baker.
They perished at Golden Beach Holiday Park at Ingoldmells on the Lincolnshire coast early on Saturday morning, on what was the first day of the school Easter holidays in the area.
In a statement released through police this afternoon, a member of Lee and Esme’s family said: ‘Lee and Esme were excited to be spending the first weekend of the holidays together. We are all utterly devastated at what’s happened.
‘This loss is incomprehensible at the moment, and we ask for people to give us space to process this utterly heartbreaking loss.’
Esme’s mother, Genette Baker, was yesterday being comforted by relatives at her home in Retford, north Nottinghamshire, and was too upset to comment.
Another family friend told MailOnline: ‘Whats happened is awful. I just can’t bear to think about it.’
The tragic father-and-daughter pair were described as ‘two peas in a pod’ in an online fundraising page, while relatives and friends this morning began posting tributes and messages of sympathy online.
One family friend posted: ‘Love you all, sleep well Esme you beautiful girl.’
Esme Baker, 10, was killed when a horror blaze broke out at a caravan park yesterday
Her father Lee Baker was also killed in the fire at Golden Beach Holiday Park in Ingoldmells
Senior Investigating Officer, Det Insp Lee Nixon, of Lincolnshire Police, said: We believe we might be close to arriving at a working hypothesis.
‘We are working hard to validate the facts available to us to be able to provide answers for the family and loved ones of those who were very tragically taken by this fire. Yet the evident intensity of the fire has made this task incredibly challenging.
Dan Moss, area manager for prevention and protection at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, added: ‘Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family at this time.
‘Our Fire Investigation Team is working with colleagues from Lincolnshire Police, and a full investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
‘Once investigations are complete, local fire crews and our community fire safety team will be on hand to talk to people in the area and address any fire safety concerns they may have, at what will be an upsetting time.’
The pair were initially identified as a father-and-daughter called Lee and Esme in an online fundraising page which described them as ‘two peas in a pod’.
The GoFundMe page described the pair as ‘happy go lucky people who loved life’ and had been set up by a local bar owner to raise money for their family.
The page added that a charity night would be announced in due course to celebrate the pair.
The caravan site in Ingoldmells is just minutes from the Fantasy Land tourist attraction
The tragic father and daughter were described as ‘two peas in a pod’
The owners of the holiday park have expressed their ‘deepest sympathies’ to the victims’ families.
In a statement the park’s owners said: ‘On behalf of everyone at Golden Beach Holiday Park we would like to send our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and friends affected by today’s tragic events.
‘We would like to thank all the emergency services for their help and continued support. We ask for patience and privacy whilst they carry out their investigations.’
Jack Price works at the Sandancer pub adjacent to the caravan park – which was behind the GoFundMe page – said the tragic father and daughter were regular visitors.
He told the BBC: ‘They weren’t just customers to us’ he said.
‘Everyone behind the bar knew them. They were coming in every weekend [we] always just had a good chat, and [at the] end of every night was a handshake, a hug and see you tomorrow.’
Police were called to reports of a caravan fire at the site at around 3.53am on Saturday.
Emergency services from Skegness, Wainfleet, Spilsby and Alford attended the blaze, with investigators still probing the cause.
Lincolnshire Police said on Saturday: ‘We are very sad to confirm that two people have died following a caravan fire at Golden beach Holiday Park, Roman Bank, Ingoldmells.
‘We were called at 3.53 am today (5 April) to a report of a caravan fire at the holiday park where two people have tragically lost their lives.
The blaze broke out on what was the first day of the Easter school break in Lincolnshire
Members of the public have been told by East Lindsey District Council to avoid the area so that emergency crews can work safely
‘Their next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.’
‘We have Crime Scene Investigators on site, and we are carrying out inquires to determine the exact cause of the fire.’
National Grid said its engineers had disconnected and isolated the electricity supply in the area, affecting 50 customers, to allow emergency services to investigate.
East Lindsey District Council said the ‘significant power outage’ had potentially affected properties within a two mile radius.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue also attended a caravan fire in Ingoldmellson at around 10.45pm on Tuesday
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue also attended a caravan fire in Ingoldmellson at around 10.45pm on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s fire, which was caused by an electrical fault within a fuse board, was extinguished using two breathing apparatus, one hose reel jet, and one thermal imaging camera, they said.
Ingoldmells is a coastal village just three miles north of Skegness and has a population of around 2,000.
Saturday’s fatal blaze comes three years after another deadly fire broke out in a caravan at Sealands Caravan Park in Ingoldmells, claiming the life of two-year-old Louisiana Brooke Dolan.
Natasha Broadley with tragic daughter Louisiana
Natasha Broadley, 37, had been staying with her four children and managed to escape the inferno with the elder three, Lexus, 14, Timothy, 12, and James-Dean, seven – but was unable to save Louisiana.
Lincolnshire Police announced in August 2022 that it did not intend to bring any criminal charges over the death but Ms Broadley thinks it was caused by a faulty boiler.
An inquest into Louisiana’s passing in 2023 then ruled the death was accidental after not being able to definitively identify the cause of the fire.
Last year, police confirmed that criminal charges would not be pursued.
