Man charged after fatal house fire kills three children in Sydney

Sydney, July 11 (IANS) A 28-year-old man has been charged in Sydney's west after a serious house fire resulted in the death of three children, Australian police announced on Thursday.

At about 1.00 a.m. local time on Sunday, emergency services were called to a home on Freeman Street in Lalor Park following reports of a house fire, reported Xinhua news agency.

A 29-year-old woman, three boys and a nine-year-old girl were taken to hospitals at Westmead. The female adult has been discharged, while the children remain in stable condition.

Two more boys, aged two and four, were transported to hospital in a critical condition but they died a short time later.

Emergency crews also found the body of a five-month-old girl at the scene after the fire was extinguished.

New South Wales Police Force said that their identities have yet to be formally confirmed and post-mortem examinations are ongoing to determine the cause of their deaths.

According to the authority, the 28-year-old man remains at Westmead Hospital under police guard.

He has been charged with three counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, and destroying or damaging property with intent to endanger life. All the charges are related to domestic violence.

The offender is expected to appear via a bedside court hearing on Thursday.