Father arrested over deaths of his children in ‘horrific’ Sydney fire

Three children – two boys aged three and six and a ten-month-old girl – were killed.

The four other children, aged between four and 11, and their 29-year-old mother were being treated in hospital for burns but are all expected to recover, police said.

“This is an appalling and senseless act that has rightly outraged the entire state,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said on Monday.

“These children deserve a loving home with safety and security, and instead they are gone.”

Police said the three deaths were being investigated as multiple domestic homicides.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described domestic violence in Australia as a “national crisis” following a sharp rise in the number of violent deaths of women this year and a series of high-profile attacks.

State police said the 28-year-old man was arrested after allegedly “thwarting” police efforts to enter the burning building.

During his treatment in the hospital, he was in an artificial coma and was under police guard, it was said.

“It appears that the 28-year-old man is responsible for multiple deaths,” Danny Doherty, head of the state’s homicide squad, told reporters on Sunday.

The suspect allegedly “acted with the intention of keeping the children on the premises during the fire,” he said.

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