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The fourteen-year-old girl who survived the Birchwood arson in Waterford, and who cannot be named for legal reasons, remains under specialist care at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin after the fire that killed her parents, Philip English, 58, and Kim English, 38, and her brothers Callum, 12, Jayden, 9, and Elliot, 6. Earlier reporting described her as critically injured and fighting for her life; her elder brother, John James English, said on Saturday, 7 November 2026 that she is recovering well but has “a bit” more to go. He has called her a “warrior princess” and vowed to protect her “as long as I’m able and breathing”. The five deaths at 7 Birch Avenue on 13 October 2026 remain under Garda investigation as a multiple murder, and no individual has been charged with murder.
A Brother’s Vow to the Warrior Princess- Writing on Facebook, John James English said his sister will remain in his thoughts and prayers while she continues to recover. “I promise to be there always, and I got your back million per cent forever,” he wrote, before calling her “a warrior princess”. In a direct vow to her, he added: “I promise as long as I’m able and breathing, I vow to stand by you and protect you.”
Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that his post also carried the weight of a brother’s grief. He wished he had been present on the night of the attack to “save them and help”, and described feeling “so angry”, “devastated and sad”. Addressing his sister directly, he wrote: “I wish I could take your pain and hurt away.” He said none of his family deserved what had happened to them, and urged the public to “cherish the little moments and make time for who makes time for you”. His words place the surviving teenager at the centre of a family narrative that has moved from funeral to hospital bedside in the space of three weeks. He has also posted that Elliot is “in God’s arms” and back with his parents and brothers.
The Funeral Homily That Shook a Nation- The depth of the family’s loss was set out at last month’s Requiem Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in The Folly, Waterford, where Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan presided over the funerals of Philip, Kim, Callum and Jayden. Daily Dazzling Dawn learned that Bishop Cullinan described the four as “innocent victims of a web of evil which is the drugs trade”. He told mourners: “How heart-wrenching it is to see four coffins before this sacred altar.” And he asked the country a direct question: “Have we really faced up to this problem?” He added that “in every city, every town and village and townland, harmful drugs are available” and that “those who work behind the scenes need to see the consequences of their dark trade”.
An Garda Síochána has consistently stated that the English family had no involvement in criminality. A local neighbour told Daily Dazzling Dawn that the couple and their children were entirely innocent. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that detectives believe the household was targeted over an external twenty-thousand-euro drug debt incurred by an acquaintance, not by Philip English. John James English has said publicly that his family was “terrorised for years” and that his father’s first wife, Ann English, had also had her home petrol-bombed.
A Child Who Survived So Much- Elliot English, who died at Crumlin on Friday, 6 November 2026, had undergone open-heart surgery at the same hospital as a baby. He recovered, and in December 2020 the children’s ambulance charity BUMBLEance photographed him on his way home for Christmas, calling him “king bee Elliot”. He later appeared in the charity’s 2021 calendar. His brother Jayden, nine, was also born with a heart condition and had undergone heart surgery just a fortnight before he died in the fire. Both boys travelled regularly to Dublin appointments in BUMBLEance ambulances and were described by the charity as its “two heart warriors”, sharing the same chromosome disorder and heart defect.
Áine Phelan, a Waterford-based paramedic who previously worked with BUMBLEance, told journalists she was deeply saddened by Elliot’s death. “To think of Elliot joining Kim, Philip, Callum and Jayden is an unimaginable sorrow for everyone who knew and loved them,” she said, describing him as “a precious little boy”. Kim English had publicly thanked BUMBLEance staff in a Christmas 2020 post for bringing her and her children “safe and sound” to Dublin and back. In a statement last month, the charity said the English family “touched the hearts of many” and that its team was “without words” in the face of an “unimaginable loss”.
Fianna Fáil TD Mary Butler, the Government Chief Whip, said she was devastated. “It’s absolutely devastating and heartbreaking that Elliot’s little gentle soul has passed,” she said. “My thoughts are with his extended family who are still mourning the loss of his parents and brothers. I’d like to commend the healthcare staff at Crumlin who have cared for Elliot for the past four weeks.” A Garda spokesperson said: “The thoughts of all members of An Garda Síochána are with the extended English family at this sad time.”
The Investigation as It Stands- Two people remain in custody in connection with the fatal fire. Jessica Dalton, 31, of Waterford city, and Cian Stacey, 21, of no fixed abode, were charged at a special sitting of Clonmel District Court with one count of criminal damage and two counts of Section 4 assault causing serious harm under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997. They were remanded in custody and are due before Waterford District Court by video-link on 17 November 2026. Neither has been charged with murder. Four other people arrested under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 were released without charge, with files sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Seven searches across Waterford city have yielded vehicles, mobile phones and laptops for forensic examination. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly told the Policing and Community Safety Authority in County Cavan on 29 October that every available resource had been committed to the murder investigation and that further arrests were anticipated.
The English family has asked for its “dignity and right to grieve” to be respected and urged the public to keep the fourteen-year-old girl in their prayers. Mourners at last month’s funerals were asked to make a donation to Children’s Health Ireland in lieu of flowers. Funeral arrangements for Elliot are to be finalised in the coming days. Philip, Kim, Callum and Jayden were laid to rest at Kilbarry Cemetery following the Requiem Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in The Folly, where players from Johnville FC, Callum’s club, formed a guard of honour. Gardaí continue to appeal for dashcam footage and witness information from Birch Avenue between 4:30 am and 5:30 am on 13 October 2026 via Waterford Garda Station on 051 305300 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. A fourteen-year-old girl remains in Crumlin, called a warrior princess by her brother, recovering from injuries sustained in a fire that killed five members of her family. No murder charge has yet been brought. Individuals before the courts are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise.
