A HOUSE fire which killed two toddlers was an accident, an inquest heard yesterday.
Three-year-old Caitlin Scully and her brother, Joseph Sands, one, died after a blaze at their parents' home in Pallister Park, Middlesbrough, last October.
Teesside Coroner's Court heard that the fire - caused by an ignited match which set alight clothes under Caitlin's bed - could have been detected earlier if smoke alarms in the house had been working.
Two teenage babysitters heard a bang upstairs after they had put the youngsters to bed. They tried to reach the children but were beaten back by smoke.
Firefighters carried the youngsters out of the house, but they later died at Middlesbrough General Hospital.
Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield recorded verdicts of accidental death on both children.
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