Glen Waverley mum Kaoru Okano, three daughters killed in fire horror
The father of three girls who died in a house fire with their mother was so panicked, he was unable to communicate for help, witnesses say.
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The father of the three little girls killed in the Glen Waverley house fire was so panicked that he could not communicate about his trapped family, witnesses say.
Hiroyuki Kikuchi had returned to the Tulloch Grove home with Kaoru Okano and their three daughters, aged 3, 5 and 7, less than two hours before the blaze began.
Hanish Poonia called triple-zero when he heard the first explosions ring out and said Mr Kikuchi appeared panicked and was trying to put out the flames.
The stricken father was unable to communicate with bystanders that his family was inside until firefighters arrived.
“It took about 10 to 15 minutes after we saw everything to understand his kids were upstairs,” Mr Poonia said.
“He was in a panic and was trying to control the fire, and because he was in a panic he was not able to communicate with us.
“After the (fire) services got here, he started shouting, ‘my kids, my kids, they are upstairs’.
“The firefighters went in … followed him inside the house.”
Mr Poonia said by the time neighbours were alerted to the trapped mother and daughters, it was too late to help.
“If he would have told us before, I think we would have gone inside and tried to do something but it was too late.”
Mr Kikuchi ran in and out of the house in a panic after the fire began but was held back once emergency services arrived, according to Mr Poonia.
He said the father’s face was blackened and he appeared to have suffered severe burns to his back.
“He was shaking and shouting,” he said.
Mr Poonia witnessed the fire trying to escape from beneath the garage and explosions as flames engulfed the home.
Fire investigators returned to the home on Monday to inspect the damage including broken and blackened windows.
A trampoline outside the front entrance is also severely charred and clothes on a washing line.
TRIBUTES FLOW FOR FIRE TRAGEDY FAMILY
Heartbroken loved ones have paid tribute to Kaoru Okano and her children, who perished in Sunday’s horror house fire.
The mum and her daughters tried to shelter in a bathroom upstairs, where their bodies were found huddled together at their Tulloch Grove townhouse after it went up in flames about 1.40am on Sunday.
The fire tragedy has devastated friends, family and neighbours of the young Japanese family.
Flowers, cards, toys and sweets have been left outside the fire-ravaged home, as neighbours and loved ones come to terms with the tragedy.
Ms Okano’s heartbroken father, Yutaka Okano, lives in Japan and is concerned about coming to Melbourne due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
In a Facebook post translated into English, he wrote: “January 10th will be remembered as a day that is too sad … too much to suffer.”
Kelly Vu broke down in tears as she spoke of the “beautiful souls taken too soon”.
“They were the most pleasant, peaceful family,” she said.
“The girls would come over to my house to play and if I was baking a cake I would always make sure they got some.
“They were the three most beautiful girls and so well mannered. Their mother was very very beautiful and looked after her girls very well.”
Ms Vu lives near the family and would join them on their daily ride around the lake.
“Most people on the lake know the girls because they are so sweet. They would excitedly tell you how many laps they’d done,” she said.
“They are going to be dearly missed. They would whiz around the lake and giggle every morning and evening. It’s so sad.”
Friend Atkinson Kana told the Herald Sun Ms Okano was a dedicated and loving mother.
“Kaoru was very bright and always seemed to have fun with the kids. I still can’t believe she passed away,” she said.
Meanwhile, the man who escaped the fire remained at The Alfred hospital under police guard in a serious but stable condition on Monday morning.
SCREAMING, EXPLOSION AS FIRE SPREAD
Neighbours heard cries from inside the home as the inferno spread from the garage.
“You could just hear screaming. The whole place was up in smoke,” a neighbour said.
A man connected to the family managed to escape the blaze and spent Sunday night at The Alfred hospital under police guard.
Neighbour Debra Ortolan said the man tried to extinguish the fire by filling a rubbish bin with water after he and another resident had attempted to use a garden hose on the flames.
However, the mother and her children did not stand a chance, as fire had quickly blocked the front door of the townhouse — the only entrance to the home.
The townhouse backs on to the Monash Freeway and the family would have faced a three-storey drop to the road had they tried to escape through a window
“The mother and the children would have had no hope getting out. There is no escape route from the back,” Ms Ortolan said.
Firefighters arrived on scene within minutes of receiving triple-0 calls and cut their way into the home via the garage.
They rushed upstairs to find the family dead together in the bathroom.
Detective Senior Sergeant Neville Major said police were still working to determine the cause of the blaze.
Arson squad detectives were believed to be treating the fire as suspicious and were yet to speak to the man.
He suffered serious burns and spent Sunday in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
He was not expected to be medically cleared to speak to police until at least Monday.
Neighbours said a man who lived at the townhouse owned a Japanese restaurant and stored flammable materials such as oils, chemicals and rubbish in the garage.
Sgt Major appealed for witnesses to the blaze to come forward.
“There has been a very tragic incident here,” he said.
“There is a lot of damage in the garage area and the house has been engulfed in smoke.”
Police and arson chemists spent Sunday investigating the scene in Glen Waverley.
The little girls’ bikes were among the charred items pulled out of the garage by emergency services.
A neighbour said the girls loved to ride their bikes in the company of their mother at the nearby lake.
“They were sweet and happy children,” the neighbour said.
“I used to see them with their mum most of the time.”
“She seemed very dedicated to the three girls.”
A neighbour said the girls loved to ride their bikes in the company of their mother at the nearby lake.
“They were sweet and happy children,” the neighbour said.
“I used to see them with their mum most of the time.”
“She seemed very dedicated to the three girls.”
— Anyone with information on the fire can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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