Family of three children tragically killed by fire after they were trapped inside a house break their silence on their ‘shattering loss’
- Family of three children found dead after house fire broke their silence
- The were found dead inside the home at Port Hedland in Western Australia
- Children were reportedly trapped inside a bedroom behind a closed door
- Family have asked people to not speculate on the events surrounding deaths
The family of three children killed in a horrific house fire in Western Australia say they are unable to put into words their shattering loss.
The children – aged five months old, seven and 10 – were found dead after their Anderson Street home in Port Hedland went up in flames on Tuesday.
The children were trapped inside a bedroom behind a closed door ‘they couldn’t open’ when the fire took hold, 9News reported.
Their family released a statement on Friday asking people to not speculate and make comments about the events surrounding the deaths of their ‘beautiful children’.
The family of three children killed in a horrific house fire in Western Australia say they are unable to put into words their shattering loss
‘Our family is going through a very traumatic grief process,’ the family said.
‘We ask that people respect our cultural protocols and not mention our children’s names, or share their images without our permission.
‘Some of the media stories and actions have been insensitive at a time when our family is just trying to cope with the reality of this loss.’
The insensitivity was only adding to the family’s grief and trauma, they said. With an investigation under way, they asked that people respect that process.
‘We are quietly paying tribute to our 3 little angels, and just supporting each other at this time,’ they said.
‘Please let us do this without adding to our grief.’
The Port Hedland community is in shock following the deaths of the three children.
Dozens of neighbours rushed to the home in an attempt to help before emergency crews arrived, smashing in windows and using garden hoses in an attempt to rescue the children.
Their mother Margaret Hawke was hospitalised at Hedland Health Campus, and on Thursday flown to Perth for further specialist treatment. No charges have been laid.
Ms Hawke has been described as a doting and loving mother and often shared sweet messages to her children online, describing them as her ‘everything’ and vowing to ‘do the best [she] can’ in raising them.
Their mother Margaret Hawke was hospitalised at Hedland Health Campus, and on Thursday flown to Perth for further specialist treatment
Police tape cordoned off the street after the tragic house fire on Tuesday afternoon (pictured)
She was seen hugging and kissing the kids as she picked them up from school just hours before the inferno took hold.
‘Margy is a loving mother and never known to be anything other than that, a loving mother,’ one relative said.
‘She is gentle, loving, kind and great with the kids, a good mum.’
Local superintendent Kim Massam said homicide detectives and forensics officers were working ‘feverishly’ at the scene to determine what happened.
‘To have three children perish in a fire, I’ve never had that in my experience,’ the veteran police officer said.
‘It’s a terrible, terrible thing to have occurred. WA Police will get to the bottom of this investigation, we will provide the answers the community are looking (for) but we will need the time to do that in a professional, competent manner.’
Police and fire crews rushed to Anderson Street in Port Hedland, 1,500km north of Perth, Western Australia, about 4.45pm on Tuesday when witnesses reported a home was up in flames
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