A mother is under investigation for allegedly dousing her children in petrol as they slept and setting them alight in a horror Queensland house fire.
Six people managed to escape the home on Merritt Street in Harristown, Toowoomba, when it went up in flames at about 12.30am on Wednesday.
Ellouisa Brighton Gibson, 36, is in a critical condition and under police guard in Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
Gibson’s nine-year-old son died in the blaze – his body found after it was extinguished – while her two daughters, aged four and seven, were rescued but later died of their injuries.
The three children who died had all been sleeping in the same bedroom.
Gibson’s 34-year-old partner escaped with minor injuries along with two other children.
Police have said they are treating the fire as suspicious.
Sources familiar with the investigation said petrol was found at the front of the home, according to The n.
One of the surviving children also allegedly told police they witnessed Gibson ‘(allegedly) pouring petrol over the children and setting them on fire’.
Daily Mail has contacted Queensland Police for comment.
Police said on Thursday they had not yet been able to interview Gibson due to her condition, but they believed she would survive.
‘We do know she will be in hospital for an extensive period of time,’ Detective Superintendent George Marchesini said at a press conference.
‘Obviously we want to talk to all those persons that were present, we’ve already undertaken that with some of the people that were at the house and have obviously been released from hospital.
‘Part of our investigation is obviously talking to all people – that will include the 36-year-old woman.’
Mr Marchesini said police had previously dealt with the family but wouldn’t give further details.
‘It certainly wasn’t a premises that police were regularly attending.’