A man whose neighbour and two daughters were murdered in their own home has described the tragic moments the fire took hold in the flat above his.
Steve Davis was alerted to the danger by people knocking desperately on his door as he sat in his ground floor flat watching Netflix at around 3am.
The 54 year old believes he too could have died in the fire - set by triple murderer Jamie Barrow who used petrol from his motorbike - if it hadn't been for those neighbours alerting him to the deadly danger he was in.
Mr Davies' own bathroom had caught fire as the vicious blaze spread quickly. It claimed the lives of Hydara and her two young daughters Fatimah Drammeh, three, and Naeemah Drammeh, one.
He said he got up to neighbours knocking on his front door. "I did not know my bathroom was on fire", he told Nottinghamshire Live. "I packed my stuff - my money and documents - and I ran around the back with the neighbours.
"There was a lot of smoke. I just saw a lot of commotion. I did not hear anything. I did not know that someone was inside when it happened. I would have tried to run inside or at least attempt to.
"I could have died as well if the neighbours did not knock on my door. I was up watching Netflix, but I did not hear anything."
Mr Davies said he did not know Barrow, his neighbour, who was found guilty of murder following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court. "It has devastated the community", he added. "I think he got everything he deserved."
The neighbour described Mrs Hydara as a "nice lady" and her two children as "lovely". "They were good neighbours. It is very sad", he added. "The children would be playing outside - they were just a nice family living a normal life.
"I do not know who is going to move into a flat where three people were murdered. I would be a bit reluctant."
However he said that the tragedy did not make him want to leave the area. "What else could I do? I did not want to give up my home."
Pink balloons were left at the property on Tuesday, July 4, following Barrow's conviction. The community in Clifton who are still mourning the family have spoken out over their loss.
Chris McGowan, aged 56, said his footage was used in the police investigation. He said "good" in response to the news of Barrow's conviction.
"It was my CCTV that caught him [Barrow]", he added. "I did not know anything had happened until the next day. But I knew the family."
Jack Cooper, who has lived in the area for 25 years, added: "What he did was awful. He killed a mum and two children.
"It brings justice to the family but it is not going to bring family members back. It is one of the biggest tragedies I have heard of.
"I am glad that he was brought to justice and that he is not walking the streets." The 29-year-old recalls seeing the fire engines at the scene.
"We did not know what went off at the time", he added. "It is sad - the dad is now on his own."
Today as Barrow was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 44 years, at Nottingham Crown Court, Aboubacarr Drammeh who lost his wife and two young daughters in the tragedy, spoke directly to him about the impact the deaths have had.
Mr Drammeh told the court how he returned to the UK after the fire and visited his wife, Mrs Hydara, in intensive care. He talked of the pain of having to identify his children’s bodies on November 23, his 40th birthday.
He added: “I was hopeless, and I was left helpless, because I didn’t have a family, and it was the people who mattered most to me. Since then, it has been a downward plunge into darkness and the unknown. It was unthinkable, it was unplanned, and I wish this on no one else, including you. Two little angels, their lifeless bodies laying next to each other. I held their whole hands. I wished I could switch with them.
“Only Allah knows why. I have to accept and prepare for the next chapter of my life. All I can say is I am sorry.
“I was not there, I should have been. I had a responsibility as a father and a husband to protect, that was my basic responsibility. I make no excuses."
Again addressing Barrow, Mr Drammeh says: “Because of you, and only you, I failed in my only responsibility as a father.
“I can guarantee there are four grandparents and two great grandparents who would have traded their lives for these people. “Because of you, you didn’t give them a choice. You took something they cherished."
