Children fighting for life after house fire in Melbourne’s northwest

A five-year-old and her siblings remain in hospital with life-threatening injuries after becoming trapped in a house fire as family fear the worst.

Family of a five-year-old girl say she may not survive injuries sustained in a house fire.

The fire happened in Melbourne’s northwest suburbs on Sunday night.

Two other children, aged 3 and 21 months, are also in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Authorities are yet to announce if they know what sparked the fire, which badly damaged the house when there were no adults at the property.

“They’re not well at all,” Jayde Petalas, the stepfather of the five-year-old and father of the three-year-old, told Channel 7.

Jayde Petalas' son and step-siblings were injured in the fire. Picture: 7News

He said the five-year-old might not survive.

The man is estranged from the children’s mother, and his biological son is also in the hospital with injuries from the fire.

“It was hard to see,” Mr Petalas said after visiting the children in hospital.

“Happy little kids. That’s what they were. They loved everything. No kid deserves this.”

Three children were left with life-threatening injuries. Picture: 7News

Emergency services were called to a home in Fergus Court in Sydenham about 9.30pm on Sunday following a large explosion, which alerted neighbours to the fire.

Neighbours described the noise as sounding like gunshots or a car exploding.

The house was badly damaged in the fire. Picture: 7News

Firefighters entered the home to tackle the blaze and found three children unconscious, who were treated at the scene by paramedics.

The children — aged 1, 3 and 5 — were taken to The Royal Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police say they are not making any assumptions about the circumstances of the fire. Picture: 7News

Neighbouring properties were assessed for smoke damage; however, the fire had not spread.

An investigation has been launched into the circumstances of the blaze.

Police have urged anyone with information to come forward.

Originally published as Children fighting for life after house fire in Melbourne’s northwest