The stepfather of a girl who is among three children fighting for her life after a horrific house fire has revealed she may not survive.
Jayde Petalas made the sad admission after her children were trapped in a fire at their home in Fergus Court in Sydenham, in Melbourne’s north-west, on Sunday night.
Her stepdaughter Izabelle, five, biological son Kalais, three, and another one-year-old girl were left fighting for their lives after being rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Authorities have not yet announced whether they know what caused the fire, which severely damaged the home when no adults were home.
Victorian health authorities told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that all three remain in critical condition.
The update comes after Petalas said her children were “not doing well at all” and admitted Izabelle might not survive her injuries.
“It was hard to watch,” she said after visiting the children in the hospital.
Mr. Petalas is estranged from the children’s mother, Shania Lee.
Neighbors said they heard explosions before and during the fire, which raged for half an hour while the children were inside. All three children remain in critical condition.
Jayde Petalas (right), stepfather of five-year-old Izabelle (center) and father of three-year-old Kalais (right), said Izabelle may not survive her injuries.
‘Happy kids. That’s what they were. They loved everything. No child deserves this.’
Emergency services were called to the house on Sunday after a large explosion, which alerted neighbours to the fire.
Neighbors described the noise as sounding like gunshots or a car explosion.
Firefighters entered the house to fight the blaze and found three unconscious children, who were treated on the scene by paramedics.
The children and their mother moved into the property a week ago. Mr Petalas does not live at the house.
Neighbouring properties were assessed for smoke damage, however the fire had not spread.
“When I first came out, some of us heard screaming,” recalled one anonymous resident.
Adolf Kolaritsch added: ‘There were just explosions, that was all, and then fire shot into the air.
Jayde Petalas (pictured with one of the children) said it was heartbreaking to hear that the three children were “fighting for their lives.”
Police say they are not making any assumptions about the circumstances of the fire (pictured, the investigation into the fire)
Another said it was heartbreaking to hear that children were “fighting for their lives.”
A loud bang heard before flames engulfed the house, followed by a series of further explosions, raised fears that fireworks may have played a role in sparking the blaze.
However, Acting Detective Inspector Adam Henry of Victoria Police’s arson and explosives squad said they had so far found no evidence of that.
Victoria Police have urged anyone with information to come forward.