A mother of five has died in a blaze believed to have been started by a firework pushed through her letterbox on Bonfire Night.

Mary Fox, 59, was seen helping her 17-year-old son Raum out of a top-floor window before the property in Bodmin, Cornwall, was engulfed in flames, trapping her inside.

Police and fire investigators have confirmed that they are looking at fireworks as a possible cause of the blaze.

Doreen Rowe, a neighbour, said that fireworks were being thrown in the street before the house caught fire. “With it being Bonfire Night there was loads of kids on the street last night armed with fireworks. Police have told us one of them has put one through Mary’s letterbox," she said. “My next-door neighbour had one thrown at her house too.”

Police are investigating claims that Raum Fox may have been deliberately targeted because of his learning difficulties.

Kerry Ollerenshaw, a family friend, said: “Kids on this estate can be very harsh. People have been setting off fireworks near their home for days. There has been a gang letting off all sorts of bangers and rockets. You could just sense something was going to happen.”

Fire officers have yet to confirm that a firework started the blaze. Steve Halstead, of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, 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.”

At one point 30 firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze, two of whom needed treatment for heat exhaustion. Mrs Fox, who also had four daughters, was found dead inside the house.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said that they were keeping an “open mind” into the cause of the fire but ”nothing had been ruled out”.

“A specialist fire investigation team and police are at the scene and are working in conjunction with Devon and Cornwall Police.”

Neighbours say that Raum had been the target if bullying which led to him changing schools. The bullying got worse after his mother started walking him to college in an attempt to protect him.

Brett Millington, 17, a former classmate, said that Raum had been moved from Bodmin College to St Austell College to escape the bullies.

He said: “Raum was a social outcast and always kept himself to himself. He never socialised with anyone in or out of school. He was badly bullied. It wasn’t all physical but a lot of psychological abuse he suffered."

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