Dandenong house fire: Community rally around family of Rithish Kirushnaneethan
A family who fled persecution in Sri Lanka for a better life in Australia has lost everything in a tragic house fire. But the community is rallying behind them.
South East
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The “beyond broken” family of a four-year-old who died in a Dandenong house fire on Sunday night arrived in Australia as persecuted refugees from Sri Lanka.
More than $21,000 has been raised for the funeral of Rithish Kirushnaneethan, the victim of Sunday night’s inferno, whose shattered parents also lost their life savings.
Dandenong councillors Rhonda Garad said the “family was beyond broken”.
According to the GoFundMe page set up to support the family, Rithish’s parents arrived in Australia via Christmas Island after making the perilous journey on a boat.
They successfully sought asylum and have been on bridging visas for nine years.
They had only lived in their Dandenong home for two weeks, after moving from Perth to be closer to family, before it was gutted by fire, which may have been caused by a gas leak.
“Their entire savings and belongings are gone,” the GoFundMe page says.
“As well as the loss of their dear son, Rithish,” it says.
“They barely escaped with the clothes on their back.”
Leader understands Rithish’s parents and siblings, a nine-year-old brother and three-year-old sister, are staying with relatives in Pakenham.
A lodger and a friend of the family, remains in The Alfred hospital in a stable condition after getting seriously burnt while trying to save Rithish.
“They’re not coping,” a source close to the family said.
It is believed the fire — which is not being treated as suspicious — started at 10pm on Sunday when the mother was cooking and the father was out running errands.
The mother noticed the couch and then the living room on fire, and suffered cut hands and smoke inhalation trying to break through Rithish’s window.
Murugesu Paramanathan, from the Victorian Tamil Association, said he had received more than 20 phone calls as of Tuesday afternoon from people looking to help the family.
“Right now we are trying to organise clothes for the children and emergency accommodation for the family,” Mr Paramanathan told Leader.
“We’re all shocked. It’s an incredibly hard time.”
Anyone seeking to donate can visit Funeral for Rithish on the GoFundMe website.