Two more children have died after a suspicious house fire in Queensland

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A Queensland community is dealing with the deaths of three children after a blaze in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane. Police are waiting to speak to their mother who remains in hospital with critical injuries under police guard.

Transcript

00:00A tender tribute, marking the horror that took place in this family home.

00:07It's just heartbreaking. It's so tragic.

00:09Overnight, two girls aged just four and seven died in the Queensland Children's Hospital

00:15from the injuries they suffered in a terrifying inferno.

00:19Their Toowoomba home was engulfed in flames about half past 12 on Wednesday morning.

00:24A nine-year-old boy also died in the fire.

00:27It's just so deeply, deeply troubling for that community.

00:30The girl's 36-year-old mother survived the blaze.

00:34She remains in a critical condition in hospital under police guard.

00:38Officers are waiting to speak to her.

00:40That is something our investigators are working on with the hospital to arrange,

00:45but will happen dependent on her condition.

00:48Two men aged 34 and 18 and an 11-year-old boy were able to escape.

00:54They've been discharged from hospital.

00:57The 18-year-old male and the 34-year-old did assist with removing or assisting with the children getting from that premises.

01:05As part of their inquiries, officers will look at any interactions the family had with police in the lead up to the fire.

01:12The Premier is promising a detailed and thorough investigation.

01:17We owe that to these kids.

01:19We owe it to the neighbours who went through that trauma.

01:22We owe it to a community that will be feeling broken.

01:24Toowoomba locals are finding small ways to express their grief.

01:28I have to speak to my kids.

01:30I told them we have to buy the flower and put it in.

01:33When it's in your town you feel like you know them.

01:36Officers praised for their response to a scene that was confronting.

01:40While we are first responders and are trained to deal with these sorts of incidents,

01:44I want to assure you that we're not immune to feeling the impact.

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