Three children, including a ten-month-old baby, died after a fire broke out in an apartment in the Australian city of Sydney early this morning, Reuters reported. quoted by BTA, referring to the police, who are working on a version of murder.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident in the Layler Park neighborhood, about 35 kilometers west of central Sydney, at 1:00 a.m. today, police said in a statement.
Two boys, aged two and four, were treated but died shortly after being taken to hospital, while a ten-month-old girl was found dead after the fire was put out.
A 28-year-old man who prevented police from entering the property was arrested with burns.
Inspectors from the "Homicide" to the Sydney police have taken over the investigation and are developing the version of a "domestic homicide", said the head of the department - Inspector Danny Doherty.
"At this stage it appears that the 28-year-old man is responsible for the tragic taking of these children's lives,'' Doherty said at a news conference. Four more children, aged between 6 and 11, are in hospital in stable condition, as is their mother, 29, who was treated for smoke inhalation, Reuters reports.