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24 NOVEMBER, 2021
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SIG N U P N O W!
Hamid, Ibrahim, Esin, Elin and Nadir.
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(Supplied)
Tributes left after the house fire.
The burned house.
258926_03 (Joe Mastroianni)
258926_04 (Joe Mastroianni)
Family’s fire anguish By Alesha Capone Tributes are flowing after the tragic deaths of four young children in a Werribee fire at the weekend. Siblings Hamid, 10, Esin, six, Nadir, three, and Elin, aged one, died in the blaze at their family home on Mantello Drive, which began about 1am on Sunday. The children’s parents, and their eight-year-old brother Ibrahim, escaped the fire and were taken to hospital with non-lifethreatening injuries. Arson and Explosives Squad detectives are investigating the cause of the fire. The CFA said the family’s single-storey brick veneer house was fully alight when firefighters arrived at the scene. About 30 CFA firefighters, supported by additional Fire Rescue Victoria crews, brought the blaze under control by 2am. Neighbours Geeta and Robert Deagan said
Tributes left after the fire.
258926_07 (Joe
Mastroianni)
the children’s father, Nagmeldin Osman, came to their door after the fire started. “Their dad knocked on the door, he said: ‘My kids are dead, my kids are dead’,” Ms Deagan said. Blood from Mr Osman’s injuries was left on the Deagans’ door after he tried to re-enter his
burning home about four times to rescue his sons and daughters. Mr Osman and his wife also had no time to put on clothes as they ran from the fire, so the Deagan’s gave them pants and blankets. Mr Deagan turned his garden hose on the burning house next door, as flames went through the property’s roof. Ms Deagan said she called triple-0 but that after the initial “fire, police or ambulance?” question, it took about 10 to 15 minutes to reach an emergency services operator. She said that Mr Osman kept asking: “Where is the fire brigade?” In a statement, the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) said it would investigate the events, but early indications were that a triple-0 call about the blaze was answered in 79 seconds. ESTA’s interim chief executive Stephen Leane said: “Our triple-0 operators care deeply about the service they provide and
the community they serve, we are always distressed if any callers have to wait for help”. On Monday, toys, candles, children’s books and flowers were left outside the Osman’s burned house. A family friend, who left a toy at the scene, said Ibrahim was being cared for by relatives in Noble Park while his parents were in hospital. “He’s very sad,” she said. The woman said the family had been planning to travel to Sudan in December to visit the children’s grandparents. An online fundraising page has been set up by Truganina resident Fathi Ahmed to assist the Osmans. It has received thousands of donations totalling more than $281,000. Details: www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-forthe-4-kids-who-died-from-house-fire