‘Unimaginable’: mum charged after her kids die in fire
Toowoomba is reeling from an “unimaginable” tragedy after a mother was charged with murder following the deaths of three of her children in a house fire.
A mother-of-five has been charged with murder after a horror house fire devastated a family, killing three of her children.
The 36-year-old is still in a critical condition in a Brisbane hospital, almost a week after the “unimaginable” tragedy that has left a community reeling.
The woman was placed under police guard after being airlifted to the hospital following the “suspicious” blaze west of Brisbane on May 7.
Neighbours helped six people escape the Toowoomba home when it burst into flames in the early hours, with some reportedly smashing windows to assist the family’s rescue.
A body, believed to be the woman’s nine-year-old son, was found in the charred remains.
Two of the woman’s daughters, aged four and seven, later died from their injuries after being airlifted to Brisbane hospitals along with their mother.
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A 34-year-old man – the father of some of the children – and the woman’s two other sons, aged 18 and 11, also escaped the house.
The man underwent surgery on his arm while the 18 and 11-year-olds were treated for minor injuries.
A candlelight vigil will be held in Toowoomba on Tuesday as locals try to comprehend the community’s latest tragedy.
“For us here, something that was unimaginable has happened,” Toowoomba Mayor Geoff McDonald told AAP.
“We are seeing the level of concern and in some cases, anger, which is part of this whole grieving process as well for the community.”
He said locals had been devastated by the fatal fire but believed the murder charges would be another blow to the community.
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“There is no doubt that will happen for some time until all findings are done,” he said.
The children’s deaths have had a ripple effect through a community still processing a recent house fire that killed a mother-of-two and was allegedly started by her husband.
Cameron Robert Hunt, 45, was charged with the domestic violence murder of his wife Louise and arson of the home near Toowoomba in April.
“This is a horrible week for the absolute tragic in the extreme,” Cr McDonald said of the latest blaze.
Floral tributes and a teddy bear were placed outside the Toowoomba home as the community rallied around the family members released from hospital following the fire.
Neighbour Will Cuffe said it took just three minutes for the blaze to engulf the house after he heard yelling and glass shattering in the early hours of May 7.
Neighbours realised someone was still in the inferno after helping rescue the six family members.
“Someone kept shouting someone’s name over and over,” Mr Cuffe told AAP.
Hours later, a body – believed to be the missing nine-year-old boy – was found inside by emergency services.
The woman has been charged with three counts of murder and attempted murder as well as one count of arson following an extensive investigation, police said.
“Police are not looking for anyone else in connection to this incident,” a police statement said.
The matter was briefly mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday and adjourned until Friday.
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