Afterward, about 1, 000 police flooded the neighborhood, where the father of one of the dead men tried to calm area residents.

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One of the travelers, Andi Veragona, told CNN affiliate WTVF that she was trying to play dead during the attack, and that she was trying to calm Scherr, who was next to her.

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Ms Eastwood said Mr Philpott seemed "calm and matter of fact" when they talked about seeing his dead children at the mortuary.

BBC: Derby fire deaths: Mortuary visit 'like a circus'