Two young sisters have died after a devastating house fire in Queensland, Australia.
On Friday, Feb. 6, Queensland Police confirmed in a release that the siblings died on Thursday after a fire tore through their family home in Townsville on Sunday, Feb. 1.
“Emergency services were called to the Gum Court address around 5:30 a.m. following reports of the property being fully alight,” authorities said.
“Two teenage boys were able to escape the fire, with emergency services able to extract a two-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl from the house,” the release added.
The girls have been identified as Hallie, 2, and Evie, 13, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), news.com.au and 9NEWS.
Both children were taken to Townsville University Hospital in critical condition after suffering breathing difficulties. The boys who escaped were treated for smoke inhalation injuries, according to ABC.
Police said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
“There are no words to describe the pain being experienced by the girls’ parents, Karah and Zac,” a statement from the Townsville Hospital and Health Service on behalf of the family said, per ABC and a GoFundMe page.
“Both parents would like to thank friends, extended family and the wider community for the care, compassion and support shown during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement continued.
“As the family grieves and supports their other children and loved ones, they kindly ask that their privacy is respected,” the statement added.
A family spokesperson said earlier this week that the girls’ mother, Karah, worked as a nurse at Townsville University Hospital, according to ABC. The spokesperson described her as a “devoted single mother of four.”
“She has spent her career caring for others and is now facing unimaginable heartbreak, while also having lost her family home,” the spokesperson added. “The emotional, physical and financial strain on her and the wider family is overwhelming.”
