A month before Christmas on a bitterly-cold winter evening in the heart of Manchester city centre, two homeless men died in a fire which engulfed a derelict building. At first they were identified only by their nicknames - Popeye and Uncle Albert - but eventually their characters, personalities and lives were revealed.
One was a father-of-six with 10 grandchildren. The other had spoken recently of hoping to reconcile with his family in Ireland after eight years away in Manchester.
The tragedy in Chinatown in November, 2016, which claimed the lives of James 'Popeye' Evans, 57, and 51-year-old Wayne Bardsley, who was also known on the streets as 'Uncle Albert', sparked a murder investigation on the part of Greater Manchester Police.
But to this day, no one has ever been convicted of any offence in relation to the blaze. Both men had families and children, but found themselves living on the streets of Manchester after battles with alcohol dependency and unemployment. They used the building simply as a shelter to keep warm and escape the harsh winter months - and died as they slept.
Four years on from an inquest into their deaths being held, there's been no new update from the force. Tragically, it seems what - or who - caused their deaths may never be known.
The building, an old warehouse on Nicholas Street registered to a company in Hong Kong, was gutted by flames and the roof caved in. At the height of the blaze, on November 25, there were more than 50 firefighters on the scene and the fierce glare from the inferno lit up the landmark Chinatown Arch just off Portland Street.
Fire and forensic experts said they believed the fire started at the side stairwell but due to the extent of the damage, it wasn't possible to determine exactly where or what time it started.
Investigators considered a lighter, tea lights and a candle were all explored as possible causes alongside arson, but detectives said it was impossible to determine which cause was most probable. An initial theory was a fire was started by homeless people trying to keep warm.
Emergency services were initially called at around 2.15am, but it wasn't until later that morning that fire crews were told that there may have been people inside. A specialist fire rescue dog was sent in to search the property and discovered the bodies on the first floor.
Crews were forced to tackle the fire from a distance to avoid falling debris, with fears the structure could collapse, and detectives issued a direct appeal to Manchester's homeless community for help in piecing what happened together.
As the fire sparked questions over the level of support offered to Manchester's homeless, the victims were named locally and by family members as Mr Evans, who was known as Popeye because of a glass eye he used to take out, and Mr Bardsley - Uncle Albert.
At the same time, detectives confirmed they now believed the fire to be suspicious - and a £50,000 reward for information went on to be offered. The daughter of Mr Evans, Leighann Kay Evans, who lives in Dublin along with the rest of his family, issued an appeal to raise €2,000 to bring his body back to Ireland to be buried.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , Leighann said at the time: "He was such a jolly person, a nice and happy man who loved his family. Other people in Manchester said the same thing, that's how him and Uncle Albert became friends because he was getting bullied on the streets and my dad stuck up for him.
"We couldn’t believe it when police told us it was him. We are all really upset by it and can’t really believe it has happened." It emerged Mr Evans had travelled to the UK eight years before the fire, but had still kept in touch every so often with his five children.
Leighann added: "He did used to drink but I spoke to him just a few weeks ago and he said he had sorted himself out and was doing good. He said he wanted to come back to make things right and make it up with my mum. He sounded really happy. Then I get police at my door telling me he had died. I am so glad I had the chance to speak to him to make peace with him."
Mr Evans, it was to emerge, was born in Hulme and had lived in Harpurhey. He has six children and 10 grandchildren. His devastated daughter, Natalie Ebohon, spoke of her shock and said: "He was such a devoted father and we just can't believe this has happened. He was a jack of all trades and was so hardworking. When we heard there was a fire where he was staying we all went into town looking for him."
She revealed that he left their lives eight years ago and ended up living on the streets, but a serious accident in 2010 left him without the use of one leg. "The accident brought him back into our lives and we saw him regularly where he lived in Harpurhey," added Ms Ebohon.
A disagreement, however, meant he left the flat and went back to living on the streets. Tragically, it's thought Mr Evans was due to return back to the flat, but died in the blaze before he could.
As police investigations continued, and an image of a man detectives wanted to speak to in connection with the fire was released, Manchester city council revealed both men had refused help offered to them. And police, it emerged, had visited the men and others staying in the same building just three weeks before the fire.
A council meeting heard Mr Bardsley had a 'secure tenancy' in north Manchester at the time of his death, and that he also attended the Barnabus Day Centre in Manchester. Mr Evans, said councillors, was given accommodation in Manchester back in December 2014, before moving to the Willows rehabilitation project in Oldham. Bosses there even arranged travel for him to return to his family - but he disappeared off the map.
It wasn't until June, 2018, however, that the full known facts of the case were aired in public, at an inquest into their deaths.
A man who was previously arrested on suspicion of starting the fire failed to attend the inquest at Manchester Town Hall despite being summoned - legally compelled - to go and answer key questions relating to the pair's deaths. The man, who was also homeless, was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life during the subsequent murder investigation, the inquest heard, but was subsequently released without charge.
He had been picked up on CCTV in an alleyway next to the derelict building 20 minutes before the fire service were called to the blaze. He maintained he had been looking for discarded food from nearby restaurants and denied knowing anything about the fire before he left the scene.
The inquest heard Mr Evans and Mr Bardsley died from a combination of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning after their only exit route was blocked by flames. Officers said there was evidence to suggest Mr Bardsley had attempted to start a fire to keep warm earlier that evening, but ruled this fire out as a main cause of the blaze.
Det Sgt Sange Suleman told the hearing: "Our initial enquiries lead us to a possible suspect. CCTV from the area showed the entrance to the building and identified a male. That man was arrested after a press release with his image was released. It is believed that before the fire James Evans had remained in the building for a few days due to an injury. Wayne Bardsley was last seen entering the building at 20.20 hours that evening.
"Wayne was seen by other witnesses trying to make a fire within the building at about 23.11pm to make the building warmer. (The man who was arrested) was seen leaving the area at 01.53 hours and by 2.16am the fire service attended what was already a well established fire.
"A file was submitted to The CPS with proposed charges of arson with intent to endanger life against (the man who was arrested) but the CPS decided to take no further action. The operation has now been closed as we could not prove how the fire was started and we could not rule out other possibilities about how the fire was caused."
The 'most likely' origin of the fire, the inquest heard, was in a rear stairwell. Recording an open conclusion, coroner Zak Golombeck said: "Without the evidence of the probable cause it would not be safe to record any other form of conclusion."
Four years on from that inquest, the pain of losing their loved one will remain alongside the memories for the families of both Popeye and Uncle Albert. And so do the unanswered questions.
Approached by the Manchester Evening News, Martin Bottomley, who heads GMP's Cold Case Unit, said: "Although it was investigated as a murder, it could never be proven how the fire started and no charges were brought. The Coroner recorded an open verdict, so it was not deemed an unlawful killing in those terms.
"If further evidence came to light which could prove how the fire started, the investigation would be re-opened and if appropriate a murder investigation would be resumed."
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