Overview
- The blaze that tore through the family's Bowen Mountain home early Monday killed 10-year-old Myla Summer-Lea Hughes and three-year-old River William Higgins.
- Their father, David Higgins, and three other children escaped and were treated at Nepean Hospital for smoke inhalation and minor burns.
- About 60 firefighters brought the fire under control by about 3:30am after flames burned through the roof cavity and the roof later collapsed, forcing crews to pull back.
- Parents Skye Hughes and David Higgins issued a statement thanking first responders and asking for privacy, while a GoFundMe set up by family friend Natasha Holden has raised tens of thousands for funerals, housing and counseling.
- Police say the cause remains under investigation and is not being treated as suspicious, with a report to be prepared for the coroner.