Crossword Genius

The fairytale girl left after the fire (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cinders

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'left after the fire' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'the fairytale girl' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'girl' could be 'de' and 'de' is found in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cinders that I've seen before include "Pieces of partly burned coal" , "Embers" , "girl kept at home" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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