Community gathers to mourn children killed in Lalor Park fire

The mother of three children killed in a house fire on Sunday has attended a community event in their memory this evening.

Community members gathered in Lalor Park to mourn three children killed in the recent house fire. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The mother of three children killed in a Lalor Park house fire has attended a vigil in their memory as their father - charged over their deaths- faced court for the first time yesterday.

The 28 year-old man, who woke from an induced coma at Westmead Hospital where he was being treated for burns and smoke inhalation on Thursday, was charged with three counts of murder (DV), five counts of attempted murder (DV) and destroy/damage property with intent to endanger life (DV).
It comes five days after he allegedly murdered the six and three-year-old boys and a five-month-old girl on Sunday, with police alleging the man used an accelerant to light several fires inside the home and attempted to stop them from fleeing.
The 29-year-old woman and four other children — aged between four and 11 — who were also inside the home at the time of the fire were able to escape the inferno.

The mother of the children and family members arrive to join community members in Lalor Park at a gathering in their memory. Picture: Jonathan Ng

More than 200 people gathered at the local park for the solemn vigil. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The man remains under police guard at Westmead Hospital, while the four surviving children are stable in hospital.
Police have also taken out an AVO on behalf of the mother and children, preventing the man from contacting them or venturing within 500 metres of their home, the woman’s workplace and the children’s school or childcare centre.

The 28-year-old man has been charged and remains under police guard in hospital.

His matter was briefly mentioned in Parramatta Local Court on Thursday morning and his solicitor, Ben Wilcox, did not make an application for bail.
The man did not appear on screen via video link. His matter was adjourned until September.
After visiting the scene of the fire on Tuesday, the children’s mother, accompanied by family members, was seen walking into the gathering at a local park just before 5pm, joining more than 200 local families, politicians and first responders for a “community support gathering”.

The Australian flag sat at half mast in the grounds of the park, and some crowd members embraced each other as several officials addressed the sombre crowd, including Blacktown Mayor Brad Bunting.
Mr Bunting thanked community members for attending the gathering.

Deputy Premier Prue Car arriving to join community members in Lalor Park. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“We can only get through this darkness together as one. It’s important you know that there’s always somebody to listen to us. There’s light at the end of the darkness,” he said.
NSW Deputy Premier Prue Car also spoke, declaring she wanted to “acknowledge these little lives and there are many people who loved them”.
“The crowd then joined a choir in singing a chorus of Amazing Grace, before beginning to disperse as tunes including Sweet Chariot and Lean on Me were performed.

On Tuesday afternoon, the children’s returned to the destroyed home after she was released from hospital where she had spent days in an induced coma.

She was spotted in the company of her parents, wearing all black as she stood before the burnt and damaged structure.

Floral tributes and messages were left for the family of three children who were killed in a house fire at Lalor Park. Picture: Richard Dobson

The mother and the surviving children also attended the crime scene on Thursday.

Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad are investigating the fire under Strike Force Carrbridge, with the assistance of Blacktown Police Area Command, North West Region, Arson Unit and Child Abuse Squad.

Forensic police at the crime scene this week. Picture: Richard Dobson

Forensic specialists had this week continued the agonising task of sifting through the charred remains of the family home.

The officers, dressed in disposable blue overalls, dust face-masks and helmets, spent most of Wednesday collecting items and documenting the leftover belongings from the severely damaged property where the siblings lost their lives.

Among the items pulled by forensic examiners throughout the day included school newsletters, other smudged documents and dozens of sodden children’s books belonging to seven children who had living at the home prior to the inferno.

Meanwhile, neighbours, members of the community and school friends of the family visited the growing shrine of flowers and written tributes outside the house.