A DEVASTATING Bonfire Night blaze which ripped through a family home killing a 59-year-old woman may have been started by a firework, writes WMN chief reporter Andy Greenwood.

Neighbours said mother-of-five Mary Fox helped her 17-year-old son Raum, who has learning difficulties, to escape from a downstairs window before trying to rescue her cats.

She was trapped by the fire in the third-floor bedroom of her home in Wallace Road, on the Berryfields Estate in Bodmin, North Cornwall, where her body was later found by firefighters.

Residents believe someone may have pushed a firework through the letterbox of the end-of-terrace property, causing the blaze, after recent days were marred by youngsters letting rockets off in the street.

Others said the family home may have been targeted by bullies who taunted Raum because of his problems, forcing him to move schools.

Specialist police and fire service investigators were yesterday sifting through the debris inside the fire-ravaged house. They confirmed they were looking into whether a firework was the cause but stressed it was too early to tell.

Neighbour Doreen Rowe, 59, said: "Mary was a dear old soul and a hero. Her son survived because she pushed him out of the window but she got trapped by the fire.

"With it being Bonfire Night, there was loads of kids on the street last night armed with fireworks. She was not the only one targeted because my next door neighbour had one thrown at her house too. Fireworks should be completely banned from the public because they are extremely dangerous.

"My husband saw a whole gang of youngsters carrying fireworks not long before it happened. I'm devastated about what has happened. Mary was such a lovely lady."

Care worker Kerry Ollerenshaw said youths regularly roamed the streets of the estate drinking alcohol, committing vandalism and fighting.

Residents' lives had been made a misery in recent days by teenagers letting off fireworks "like missiles". Mr Ollerenshaw, 36, added: "Some of the kids run wild through here. They would have to be pretty cold and calculating to push a firework through someone's letterbox.

"But it wouldn't surprise me if that's what happened and it wouldn't surprise me if it was someone from this estate."

Ms Fox, who is believed to have four daughters, was well-known on the estate as a flamboyant character who would sing in her garden and pass the time of day with neighbours.

Son Raum was said to have a keen interest in computers. His former classmates said yesterday he had recently swapped schools because the bullying was so bad.

Brett Millington, 17, said Raum had been moved from Bodmin College to St Austell College to escape the bullies. He added: "He was badly bullied. It wasn't all physical but a lot of psychological abuse he suffered.

"When he was at Bodmin, his mum would walk him to school every day because the bullying was so bad. But if anything, that just made it worse."

The worst of the fire damage could be seen at the rear of the house where the render was heavily charred and the bathroom window had melted. The smoke alarm next door continued to sound.

The family cats tried to return to the property, outside which several floral tributes were laid.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue's group manager Steve Halstead said: "There are several avenues of investigation into the cause of the fire. Obviously, with it being November 5, the possibility that fireworks were involved is something we are looking at.

"We are carrying out tests for all kinds of accelerant which is normal procedure."

Mr Halstead said that the worst damage had been found on the ground floor but all three floors had been severely damaged by fire.

Firefighters were called to the house at 7.20pm on Thursday after a passer-by spotted that the door was on fire.

The first crew was at the scene within six minutes. Such was the ferocity of the blaze that two firefighters were treated at scene for heat exhaustion. A total of 30 firefighters attended. A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were keeping an "open mind" into the cause of the fire but "nothing had been ruled out".

Police had not received calls from the house about anti-social behaviour or bullying.

He said: "It will be a painstaking and lengthy investigation to establish what happened, but we are taking into account it was Bonfire Night and the time of year could be significant."

A press conference is due to be held at Bodmin police station this morning.

In a separate incident, an investigation has begun after a 91-year-old man died in a house fire at Whitstone, between Bude and Launceston in North Cornwall, at around 9am yesterday.

Firefighters found the man in the hallway of the smoke-filled property. He was later declared dead.