Killed in fire

Father allegedly prevented his own children from being rescued

A 28-year-old Australian man is under investigation for multiple murder. He is accused of obstructing rescue workers when they tried to get his children out of the family's burning house.

According to the police, the 28-year-old and his seven children and their mother were in the family home at the time of the fire. Three children aged ten months, three and six years died in the fire on Sunday. The four other children, aged between four and eleven, and their 29-year-old mother were taken to hospital, according to the police. They were not critically injured.

Head of government: "Terrible and senseless act"
It was a "terrible and senseless act" that will leave a "deep wound" in the province of New South Wales, said the head of the New South Wales government, Chris Minns, on Monday. For his part, Homicide Commissioner Danny Doherty said with regard to the arrested man: "The 28-year-old appears to be responsible for several deaths".

He had prevented the emergency services from entering the burning building and "acted with the intention of keeping the children inside during the fire", Doherty said. The suspect was arrested and placed in a medically induced coma due to his own injuries, according to police. He is being treated at the hospital under police observation, he said.