Two sisters have died nearly a week after they were pulled from a massive house fire in north Queensland.
Emergency services were called to their family’s house in Bushland Beach, just north of Townsville, about 5.30am, and the two-year-old and 13-year-old were rushed to Townsville University Hospital in critical condition.
Two teenage boys escaped the fire and were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Queensland Fire Department Acting Inspector Steve Bigham said firefighters performed CPR to one of the children on the roof of the house while it was engulfed in flame.
Hallie, 2, and Evie, 13, died on Thursday, according to Queensland police.
The children’s mother, Karah Perry, is a registered nurse who works at the hospital where they were treated.
By Friday, a GoFundMe set up for the family had already attracted more than $85,000 in donations.
“She has spent her career caring for others and is now facing unimaginable heartbreak, while also having lost her family home,” the page stated in a post before the children had died.
“The emotional, physical and financial strain on her and the wider family is overwhelming.”
Police said the fire was not being treated as suspicious, but investigations were ongoing.
They have requested anyone with information or relevant footage of the fire to contact investigators.
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