A boy was killed on his seventh birthday when a blaze swept through his family's home.

Carl Taylor had celebrated his big day with his brothers and sisters before tragedy struck.

The youngster, who lived with his grandparents, had been playing in a bedroom of the house in Wood Vue, Spennymoor, County Durham, with his half brother Stephen Peel, four, when the blaze broke out.

The children fought desperately to get out, leaving blackened handmarks on the inside of the bedroom windows.

Today Stephen is fighting for his life in Newcastle General Hospital after suffering horrific burns.

Neighbours, fire fighters and police officers battled through the flames in an attempt to save Carl's life.

Stephen was carried to safety by a neighbour before the fire brigade arrived at the scene and the boys' three-year-old sister was also rescued.

Police said seven people from the same family were in the house at 8.30pm last night when the blaze broke out.

Neighbour Ruth Emmerson, 18, said: "It is such a tragedy, it has affected everyone in the street.

"It is bad enough that a little boy has been killed but it is cruel that it happened on his birthday".

"He was seven on the day he died and everyone was just devastated when we realised he had been killed".

"I just hope that Stephen pulls through but he was in a bad way when he was carried out".

"The fire was so intense that it was melting the glass from the broken windows".

"I tried to got up to the bedroom myself but I was beaten back by the smoke and the heat was so intense at the top of the stairs that I had to get out".

"Everyone tried so hard to get in, the neighbours, the police and the firemen as well, Carl's grandparents had to be held back from running into the flames".

"There was a young policewoman in tears in the street being held back because she was so desperate to get into the house".

"The firemen were devastated when they found his body, it has just hit us all so badly,"

A Durham police spokesman said: "This was a very tragic incident made even worse by the fact that Carl died on his seventh birthday".

"It appears that Carl and Stephen were playing together in the bedroom at the time the fire broke out. There are no suspicious circumstances".

Assistant Divisional Office Ian Dockerty of Durham Fire Brigade said: "The fire was in a first floor front bedroom and the two officers who went in with breathing apparatus were dealt severe punishment, one had his visor totally burned off".

"Another three went in after them and they discovered the young boy in the front bedroom and it was obvious that he had died".

Updated: 11.30 Tuesday, June 19