A man has been praised for saving the lives of four children after their father allegedly set fire to their home, killing three of their siblings in Sydney’s west.
Emergency services, including at least 20 firefighters and six fire engines, rushed to Freeman Street near Lalor Park Sunday at 1 a.m. after reports of a house on fire.
The man allegedly responsible was Dean Heasman, 29, who had been in a relationship with 29-year-old Stacey Gammage for ten years.
Heasman is said to have set fire to the house while Mrs. Gammage and her seven children were inside.
Two boys, aged three and six, were taken to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition but died a short time later.
Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the fire before the body of a third child, believed to be a 10-month-old girl, was found.
Neighbor Jarrod Hawkins rushed to the burning house just minutes after it went up in flames and helped rescue four children inside.
Details of his heroism came to light when a heartbreaking scene was spotted at the front of the house after the fire: a lone baby walker on the grass with colorful toys, in stark contrast to the burned-out house.
Dean Heasman, 28, was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital under police guard
Three young children, including a 10-month-old girl, died in a house fire (pictured) in Freeman Street, Lalor Park, in Sydney’s west.
Police allege Heasman (pictured with 9-year-old Stacey Gammage) intentionally set the fire and attempted to prevent emergency responders and police from entering the home to rescue the children.
Without hesitation, Mr Hawkins ran into the house and helped a nine-year-old girl and three boys, aged 11, 7 and 4, to safety.
“I heard some things outside at 1am but when I got outside the emergency services were already there. There was nothing I could do,” Hawkins told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday.
The young father explained that his daughter was friends with the nine-year-old girl and that one of the boys had autism.
He described the children as “unreal” and claimed Mrs Gammage and Heasman looked happy.
His partner told Daily Mail Australia she was proud of him for running to the house and trying to help.
‘He did what anyone would do. He heard the sirens and ran over,” she said.
“I’m so proud of him. It’s what you hope someone would do for your kids. I I don’t know what he heard when he arrived at the house and I can’t imagine it.’
Another neighbour, Damien Dubois, said all three rooms at the front of the house were on fire and the surviving children were housed on the other side of the road.
“They had seven children. I had the four children and they were cold, so we picked them up and took them into the back room,” Mr. Dubois said.
“I tried to comfort them. The two youngest children didn’t say anything, so I picked them up and took them away from all this trauma.”
Neighbour Jarrod Hawkins (pictured hugging his son) was praised for rushing into the burning home. Police said Mr Hawkins’ actions ‘saved more lives from loss’
Neighbor Damien Dubois (pictured) rushed to the scene to help the surviving children
Mr Dubois said the eldest child, who had burns to both arms, approached him and said: ‘He (Heasman) tried to kill me, I nearly died’.
He added that both Mr Hawkins and the police shouted at Heasman to “get out, get out” of the burning house.
Blacktown Acting Police Chief Jason Pietruszka praised the actions of emergency workers as “very heroic”.
“The emergency services were quite heroic in what they did. They were trying to gain access to a building that was on fire,” he said.
Mr Pietruszka explained that Mr Hawkins provided assistance at the scene and that his actions ‘resulted in more lives being lost’.
The four children who were pulled from the burning house were treated at the scene and then taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.
Mrs Gammage was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, while Heasman was arrested and taken to hospital under police guard.
Heasman suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation from the fire and was placed in an induced coma in intensive care.
A baby walker was spotted in the front yard of the house, its colorful toys in stark contrast to the charred black house
The fire tore through the house, blackening and destroying bricks and window frames from where flames burst through the windows (photo)
The State Crime Command’s Homicide Unit, along with the Arson Unit, have launched an investigation into the exact circumstances surrounding the fire.
During a press conference on Sunday, police alleged that Heasman obstructed emergency services, police and neighbors in their attempts to enter the home and rescue the children.
“These actions were deliberate to keep emergency services and residents away from the site and to keep the children inside,” said Detective Chief Inspector Danny Doherty.
Neighbors who rushed to the scene and desperately tried to rescue the children from the burning house were reportedly driven away by Heasman.
According to sources, the father tried to drag the children back inside as rescuers tried to get them to safety.
Heasman reportedly wanted to keep himself, the children and their mother in the house.
Witnesses reportedly heard Heasman shout something along the lines of, “Let me die here,” as the fire burned.
Grim images have emerged since the fire, showing that the fire completely destroyed the building from the inside.
The front of the house was charred black and the exterior bricks were stained as flames shot through the windows.
The outside frames of the windows were destroyed by the flames and even the gutters were engulfed in flames.
The front door of the house appeared to have been burned off its hinges, and the electrical wiring leading to the house also appeared to have been burned by the fire.
The house is believed to have been owned by the housing commission, where Mrs. Gammage lived with Heasman and the seven children.
Family photos have emerged showing a father smiling with his partner and children before he is accused of dragging the children into a burning house
According to Mr Doherty, police are treating the fire as a multiple domestic homicide.
“At this stage it appears the 28-year-old is responsible for the tragic deaths of several young people,” Doherty said.
“We allege that the 28-year-old man took measures to prevent the youths in the vehicle from being rescued.”
The State Crime Command’s homicide squad, along with the arson squad, havean investigation has been launched into the exact circumstances that caused the fire.
Police are also using a specially trained fire accelerant dog to help determine how the fire spread so quickly.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. A report is being prepared for the coroner.