The Fire Was No Accident
What looked like a tragedy was in fact a plan.
Jessica (L) and Catriona (R)
It was May 2011 when screams of “For God’s sake help me!” tore through the night air, and neighbours woke to find a tragedy unfolding before them. As Christine Braithwaite, stood outside of her house, in Redcar, North East England, she screamed desperately for help.
The Braithwaite family home was ablaze and despite the neighbour’s best efforts, they couldn’t get inside. The blaze had blocked the entire hallway, trapping father Philip Braithwaite, 49, and his daughters Jessica, 7, and Catriona, 9, in the bedrooms on the first floor.
Neighbours could only stand and wait for emergency services to arrive as they heard the tormented screams of the tiny children trapped inside. As firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze, they bravely fought through the flames to try and save the family.
Jessica was pulled from the first floor, and ambulance workers attempted resuscitation outside of the house before taking her to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. Jessica sadly died from smoke inhalation the following day.
Philip and Catriona were also brought out of the house, with Catriona being airlifted to Hull Hospital to undergo treatment in the specialist burns unit. Thankfully, she survived, despite being critically injured.
Philip died at the scene of smoke inhalation.
On the night of the fire, Christine told officers that she had been watching television in a downstairs living room. Her daughters were in bed upstairs, and around 11 p.m., she left the room to go to bed. As she entered the hallway, she was met by what she described as ‘an inferno’.
As I walked out I was greeted by what I can only describe as an inferno. There was a wall of fire that appeared to reach the top of the door which completely filled the doorway with thick, acrid, black smoke gushing out of the room which was choking me. — Christine Braithwaite
Christine, hysterical with fear, attempted to run to the stairs but began choking on the smoke which had filled the hallway and was unable to reach the first floor. Grabbing her mobile phone, she called 999 as she ran into the street, screaming for help as she did so.
Phillip Braithwaite
Mental Health Issues
As police looked into the circumstances of the fire and began their investigation, multiple things were discovered. In a statement read out in court at the inquest of her husband and daughter’s deaths, Mrs Braithwaite described how her husband had begun suffering mental health problems around nine months before the fire.
Speaking to the court, she described how until July/August 2010, Philip had been a ‘good husband and wonderful father.’ She talked of his dedication to his family, and how he ‘adored the children’. Things were taking a turn however as Philip, who ran his own health and safety consultancy firm, began to struggle with his mental health. He had built up a £17,000 credit card bill and complained of money problems.
As his illness developed, he attempted to take his life twice and was treated in the months leading up to the fire by mental health teams. At one point, he spent six weeks in the Roseberry Park unit in Middlesbrough — a mental health hospital.
It was clear the Philip was suffering, and despite the intervention of mental health teams, it appeared that his problems were continuing to grow.
The Investigation Findings
An investigation into the deaths, and a subsequent inquest, concluded that Philip had indeed decided to kill himself and his family.
Assistant Deputy Coroner Clare Bailey recorded a verdict of suicide for Philip and unlawful killing for the death of Jessica.
Police officers who investigated the case described how Philip had researched the spread of house fire on the internet in the weeks leading up to the fire.
Philip had also disconnected the fire alarms, in what investigators believe was an attempt to give the fire time to spread before anyone would be alerted.
Notes written by Philip indicated to police that he had intended to kill himself, and his entire family, with premeditation taking place — although they did highlight his struggle with mental illness at the time being a factor in his decision making.
Fire investigation officers found the fire had been deliberately started in the second living room of the house, leading to the foot of the stairs. A petrol can had been brought into the house, with Philip using this as an accelerant to speed up the spread of the fire.
The Braithwaite house in the aftermath of the fire.
The Aftermath
Jessica was laid to rest a couple of weeks after the fire, with her service taking place at Saltburn Methodist Church, where she attended the local brownie group. Reverend Chris Eddy described Jessica as a ‘fun-loving, carefree girl, who loved Whitby, playing with her guinea pigs, and singing and dancing’. Jessica’s older sister Emma, described her as a child who ‘brought joy to everyone’. Catriona remained in hospital for some time as she was treated for her burns.
What causes family annihilation?
The technical term is actually familicide, and it is carried out primarily by white men in their 30s, and typically followed by the suicide of the perpetrator.
There are a variety of reasons why someone would choose to wipe out their family, but they typically include domestic abuse, financial stress, infidelity and mental health issues.
There isn’t a checklist that helps you spot an annihilator, if there was, then perhaps so many lives could be saved.
At the one end of the scale, there are those with a history of domestic violence who escalate until their anger becomes uncontrollable. But, scarily, at the other end of the scale, there are those which show no signs of danger. They hold in their anger, and repress their emotions, making themselves more at risk of a psychotic break when that build-up of emotion becomes too much.
Financial strain can increase the emotional strain some feel, and coupled with mental illness, can create what feels like an impossible situation to them.
Sometimes, but not always, they can have psychotic delusions or breaks from reality which people do notice. They can also have alcohol or drug problems, but not always.
Around a third of annihilators fall into the category of those quiet, repressed individuals, where there isn’t any known history of domestic violence, and no outward signs to signify that something is going to happen.
It seems that Philip was having mental health issues which undoubtedly contributed to his decision to start the fire. Whether or not this tragedy could have been prevented with further intervention is a question which will never be answered.
Sources: The Northern Echo, Gazette Live, BBC News.
