A ZIMBABWEAN woman has been charged with two counts of manslaughter over a fire which killed a toddler and its mum in Milton Keynes, England.

Wheelchair-bound Barbara Zhanje, 48, from Rockingham Road, Corby, Northamptonshire, faced the charges at the Luton Crown Court on Tuesday.

Her trial starts on December 3.

Victims Bola Ejifunmilayo, 29, and her daughter Fiyin Ejifunmilayo, 3, were sleeping in their flat on Fishermead Boulevard in a multi-occupancy building where Zhanje’s estranged boyfriend also has an apartment.

The huge fire caused structural damage, with the collapse of floors and ceilings meaning rescue teams could not reach the pair.

One firefighter was injured trying to enter the bedroom where the remains of the Nigerian woman and her daughter were later found. He was taken to hospital after the floor collapsed and he fell to the level below. He was treated for arm and shoulder injuries and was later released.

Death scene ... A police van parked outside the burnt out flat where a toddler and its mother died