Vikki Preston and Rhona Schofield were best friends since their schooldays at Kersal High School in Salford, forming a bond akin to sisterhood. Tragically, five years later, they lost their lives in an arson attack at 23 King Street, Higher Broughton, while asleep in the house.

The fire was intentionally set between 3.40 am and 4.10 am on May 10, 2005, through an unsecured front door, with the intention to kill rather than to scare. The flames quickly engulfed foam-filled armchairs and sofas, raising the temperature to 1,000 degrees centigrade within ten minutes, ultimately blowing out windows.

Neighbours called the fire service at 4.09 am, and Broughton Fire Station crews risked their lives to rescue the girls from the first floor bedroom. Unfortunately, both Vikki and Rhona, aged 19, succumbed to toxic fumes.

The street was deserted at the time, with many houses boarded up for demolition, a process that eventually took place three years later. Upon bulldozing the house, flowers left at the doorstep in memory of the girls remained faded.

Witness Aaron Shuttleworth reported the flames and called the fire service, noting the front door's open position, which allowed fresh air to fuel the fire. The inquest established both girls had been unlawfully killed, with the atmosphere in the house the day prior described as chaotic.

Vikki left two sisters and five brothers, while Rhona's family has also been forever marked by this tragedy. In 2016, Vikki's mother, Jacqueline, spoke about the lasting pain of losing her daughter without knowing the culprits, stating, "What makes it hard is no one has been brought to justice."

Rhona's father, Peter Schofield, faced the traumatic task of identifying his daughter and died in 2013, with his wife Doreen passing away in 2019. Both parents made heartfelt appeals for information to catch their daughters' killer, which remains uncharged to this day.

In 2021, detectives identified two prime suspects and sought public assistance to gather more evidence, emphasizing the need for a decisive witness. Martin Bottomley from Greater Manchester Police's Cold Case Unit stated, "We will never give up and are determined to find those responsible for the girls' deaths."

The community continues to await justice for Vikki and Rhona, whose lives were extinguished far too soon on that fateful day.