The stepfather of a young girl who is among three children left fighting for life after a house fire has revealed she may not make it through.
Jayde Petalas made the grim admission after his children had been caught up in a house fire on Fergus Court at Sydenham, in north-west Melbourne, on Sunday night.
His stepdaugther Izabelle, 5, biological son Kalais, 3, and another one-year-old girl were all rushed to The Royal Children’s Hospital.
Victorian health authorities revealed to Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that all three remain in a critical condition.
The update comes after Mr Petalas said his children were ‘not well at all’ and admitted that Izabelle may not survive her injuries.
‘It was hard to see,’ he said after visiting the children in hospital.
Mr Petalas is estranged from the children’s mother Shania Lee.
Neighbours said they heard explosions before and during the fire that raged for half an hour while the children were inside. All three children remain in a critical condition
The kids and their mother (pictured, Shania Lee) moved into the property a week ago. Mr Petalas does not live at the home
Jayde Petalas (right), stepfather of five-year-old Izabelle (middle) and father of three-year-old Kalais (right), said Izabelle may not survive her injuries
‘Happy little kids. That’s what they were. They loved everything. No kid deserves this.’
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.
Emergency services were called to the home on Sunday following a large explosion, which alerted neighbours to the fire.
Neighbours described the noise as sounding like gunshots or a car exploding.
Firefighters entered the home to tackle the blaze and found three children unconscious, who were treated at the scene by paramedics.
The kids and their mother moved into the property a week ago. Mr Petalas does not live at the home.
Neighbouring properties were assessed for smoke damage however the fire had not spread.
‘When I first came out a few of us heard screaming,’ an unnamed resident recalled.
Adolf Kolaritsch added: ‘Just explosions, that’s all it was and then fire shooting out into the air.
Jayde Petalas (pictured with one of the children) said it was heartbreaking to hear the three children were ‘fighting for their lives’
Shania Lee is the mother of the three children that were caught up in the house fire
Another said it was heartbreaking to hear that the children were ‘fighting for their lives’.
A loud bang was heard before the flames engulfed the home, followed by a series of further explosions, sparked concerns fireworks may have played a role in triggering the blaze.
However, Victoria Police Arson and Explosives Squad Detective Acting Inspector Adam Henry said they had so far found no evidence of that.
Victoria Police have urged anyone with information to come forward.
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