At first glance, Stacey Gammage, 29, and Dean Heasman, 28, appeared to be the parents of a happy young family.
Through their joint social media accounts, the western Sydney couple have been full of praise for their seven children, frequently sharing images of key childhood moments and memories.
One photo shows a little boy smiling as he opens a Thomas the Tank Engine train set for his birthday, while another shows a little girl with her face painted like a unicorn as she attends a carnival.
Others show the siblings lined up in their uniforms posing for a photo before school or leaning next to Santa for an annual Christmas photo.
According to a post by Ms. Gammage, the family was “a bond like no other.”
“My beautiful babies,” she wrote.
‘I love you with all my heart.’
But now the family is irreparably devastated after three of the children – a three-year-old boy, a six-year-old boy and a 10-month-old girl – died in a horrific house fire in Lalor Park, in Sydney’s west, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Stacey Gammage, 29, and Dean Heasman, 28, are pictured in happier times.
Photos posted on social media paint a picture of a happy young family.
Ms Gammage frequently shared gushing posts about her children on a Facebook account. While the account is in both their names, the posts suggest the mother of seven was the primary user.
Police will allege her father, Heasman, barricaded himself with Ms Gammage and their children inside the housing commission home before setting it alight.
Four of the children – a nine-year-old girl and three boys aged eleven, seven and four – managed to escape the inferno and alerted neighbours that their father was allegedly trying to kill them.
Heasman was arrested at the scene before being rushed to hospital in a critical condition, where he remains fighting for his life in an induced coma in police custody.
Ms Gammage was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. It is unclear whether she has been discharged.
As detectives wait to see if Heasman makes a full recovery, investigators are apparently at a loss to understand the motive behind the horrific attack.
He was not known to have a history of mental illness or domestic violence, police said.
The couple had recently had their only known interaction with police: a brief verbal argument that resulted in officers responding to the property, which was quickly resolved.
On Facebook, Ms Gammage described her fiancé as an “amazing” and loving partner.
“I love you my amazing partner Dean Heasman,” he wrote in 2018.
‘Thank you for taking care of me while I was so sick that I lost my voice.
You are amazing and I love you.
The housing commission property in Lalor Park was quickly engulfed in flames in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Dean Heasman, 28, was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital in police custody.
But at around 1am on Sunday, Heasman allegedly threw a burning pillow at his partner, which was partly responsible for starting the blaze, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Investigators are also looking into whether Heasman allegedly used an accelerant after a second explosion engulfed the home in flames moments after he threw the fully lit pillow at his partner.
Police will also allege that he not only barricaded the family inside the property while it burned, but also attempted to drag the children back inside as they tried to escape.
The father of seven is known to have no significant criminal record, but in 2017 he ran into trouble with the Australian Taxation Office.
When he was just 21, he pleaded guilty to making a false statement and was convicted, but avoided jail and was instead placed on an 18-month good behaviour bond by the NSW Local Court, and was also ordered to pay $2,809 to the ATO.
On Monday, friends and community members arrived at the site, many leaving wreaths, stuffed animals and candles.
