House Inferno Claims Two Children
The Age
Wednesday December 6, 2006
TWO children under five died after a fire tore through a family home in Bowenvale, north of Maryborough, yesterday.
The bodies of a 10-month-old girl and a four-year-old boy were found in the living room and master bedroom of the Timor Road weatherboard house after flames engulfed it shortly before noon.The children's mother and three siblings aged five to nine years survived.Country Fire Authority incident controller Robert Ipsen said CFA crews were aware that two children had been trapped inside the house, but were able to locate only the girl's body before the fire was put out.Police and fire investigators later searched for the boy's body, which was found under debris. Neighbour John Hughes was one of the first people on the scene, but said he felt helpless after seeing the strength of the fire. "The lady come up, Michelle, the woman, and said, 'John, my kids are in there, can you get them out?' and I said I can't get in there," he said, his voice shaking.Mr Hughes had grown up in the house, but his family had sold it in 2001 after the death of his father.Mr Hughes said the mother, Michelle Young, had her other children around her when he arrived on the scene.He said he had taken a garden hose and poked it under the door in an attempt to douse the flames but to little or no effect."Real nice kids they were," he said of the Young children. Ms Young and one child were taken to Maryborough Hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation. Her other two children are believed to be staying with friends and relatives.Detective Sergeant Rick MacDonald, of Victoria Police arson squad, said that Ms Young and her partner had bought the house together, but he was elsewhere at the time the fire started.Detective Sergeant MacDonald said the fire had spread quickly, but that it was too early to determine what had caused the blaze.Crews were expected to be working on the site late last night.
© 2006 The Age
