Four children die in Melbourne house fire
A family in Melbourne’s south west has been torn apart after four children died in a house fire.
The victims were two boys, aged 10 and three, and two girls, aged six and one.
The children’s father and mother and an eight-year-old boy escaped the blaze as neighbours did all they could to raise the alarm.
Friends and loved ones of the Werribee family today openly wailed in the street as they returned to the ruins of the home.
“The family that survive … it’s devastating,” a family friend told 9News, her voice wavering with grief.
“It’s just too sad. Too sad.”
Firefighters managed to gain entry to the house by breaking through the garage after the fire broke out about 1am. The intensity of the blaze had already collapsed the property’s roof.
CCTV footage from nearby properties filmed the frantic efforts and raw emotions of neighbours who were also confronted by the blaze.
“Oh my god, there’s four kids inside,” one woman’s voice can be heard saying as smoke billowed across the street.
At one point, the father of the four victims could be heard screaming for his children.
“The dad keeps on shouting, ‘my kids, my kids are gone’,” one neighbour told 9News.
Fire Brigade Lieutenant Damien Molloy said the fire was already fully ablaze when firefighters arrived.
“We were presented with a house that was well alight,” he said.
“Fire had already broken through the roof and was already coming out the front door.”
Victoria Police Detective Senior Sergeant Ashley Ryan said “our hearts go out to the family and to the community”.
Arson Squad detectives spent the day combing through the scene.
They are still trying to piece together how and where the fire started
Senior Sergeant Ryan said it was too early to say whether the fire was suspicious or not.
Police have put a callout to anyone who might have witnessed the fire.
“We are calling on anyone who may have information who was driving past at the time, any dashcam footage, anything that may be able to assist us with the investigation,” Senior Sergeant Ryan said.
