Young couple and newborn daughter killed in suspicious Point Cook fire - The Age

A young couple and their three-week-old daughter have been identified as the victims of a suspicious fire that engulfed a Point Cook townhouse in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Police and arson squad detectives are investigating the blaze that claimed the lives of Abbey Forrest, 19, her boyfriend Indi, 25, whose surname is not known, and their daughter Ivy.

Abbey Forrest, her boyfriend Indi and baby Ivy.

The family had moved to the house on Totem Way less than a month ago, after the birth of their daughter. Ivy would have been three weeks old on Friday.

Ms Forrest’s devastated sister, Emily, went to the scene of the fire, which police suspect may have been deliberately lit, on Thursday and reflected on the tragedy.

"It should be the perfect time of their life, and now this awful tragedy has happened," she said.

Abbey was loving being a first-time mother, her sister said.

Abbey Forrest (left), her sister Emily and their parents.

"She did a fantastic job, she really showed me up that's for sure," Ms Forrest said, smiling through tears.

"She was absolutely smitten, she was so over the moon to become a mum and she did so well."

Ms Forrest said she and her sister were inseparable as children, with just four years between them in age.

"She had the biggest, boldest personality. She was great. I’ll always cherish the memories that I had growing up with her. She was my only sibling," she said.

Ms Forrest only had the chance to meet her niece Ivy, who was born on November 13, twice, but said memories she would treasure the memories.

"I came home from a camping trip early and snuck into the hospital and got in a quick little visit despite COVID, and then we had a beautiful family dinner a week or so ago, so we got to meet everybody and our son got to meet his cousin so that was really beautiful."

She said her sister's 25-year-old partner, who was known to the family as Indi, loved Abbey "dearly".

"He loves their daughter just as much, so to see this is just heartbreaking," she said.

Abbey Forrest's sister, Emily, and her partner lay flowers and a small toy outside the remains of the house on Thursday, "just to symbolise our niece, her daughter, who didn't get to live her full life".Credit:Rachael Dexter

Ms Forrest said she was now trying to support her devastated parents. "Burying your own child is something no one wishes upon anyone.

"I was in a lot of denial yesterday and only hearing some things on the news … I just needed to come and see that something had actually really happened."

Ms Forrest wanted to thank all the neighbours who had tried to save her sister's family.

"It just makes me feel at ease that there were decent people around who were trying to help her. To risk your own life to try and help save someone in that horrible situation."

Neighbours describe desperate attempt to rescue trapped family

Neighbours have spoken of how they frantically tried to hurl an axe and throw rocks through the jammed upstairs window of the burning house after they heard screams for help.

Investigators at the scene on Wednesday.Credit:Paul Jeffers

Jade Bartolo was awake waiting for her partner to arrive home from nightshift when she heard someone screaming "fire" near her back shed about 3am.

She raced to the house, but could not get inside from the front or back entrances. "I tried to open the shed, and obviously realised they couldn't get down anyway because of the heat from the shed," she said.

The scene of the fatal fire on Wednesday.Credit:Nine News

She heard screams from the top-storey window. "They were trying to wind the window out, [but] because there's the chain on the window they could obviously only open the window [so] much," she said.

"They were trying to half hang out the window".

Ms Bartolo's partner, who had since arrived home, began hurling the axe at the window from the street.

"It all happened within about four minutes. There was no smoke and then it was just black," she said.

"They were saying 'help, help'. [They were] trying to get out the window but they couldn't."

Part of the second storey of the townhouse was completely destroyed in the blaze.Credit:Paul Jeffers

A group of neighbours tried to hurl the axe at least five times before one picked up a rock which shattered the window.

Another neighbour, Kirra Haeata, said she had seen someone who was staying at the home collecting a fast-food delivery outside about 2.30am, believed to be minutes before the blaze started.

"I'd just finished work and the neighbour [from the townhouse] was outside waiting for his food," she said.

Ms Haeata helped go door to door to wake up neighbours to warn them about the fire. "It could have just wiped out that whole block," she said.

It took an hour for fire crews to gain control of the blaze.

Police unsure how blaze started

Arson and explosives detectives believe the fire started in the middle of the home and are treating it as suspicious due to its sheer intensity.

"When the fire services got here, it was fully engulfed, the townhouse was raging, particularly in the front and upstairs. With accidental fires that doesn't occur," said Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Kennedy.

Ms Forrest said her family was yet to receive any clear answers on how the fire started, and whether it was deliberately lit.

"I'm not too sure what to believe to be honest. If it is suspicious, this is something horrible [and] shouldn't be done to anybody," she said. "[If it was] accidental, these things happen. Either way, I just hope they find the answer and give us clarity on what's actually gone on here."

Police have had varying reports of how many people lived at the address. There was a mattress downstairs that looked as though it had been recently slept on, but there was no one on it.

The police investigation is ongoing.

Ms Forrest has set up a GoFundMe page to help her family with the funeral costs.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

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2020-12-03 02:18:00Z
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