Tragedy at Lalor Park: Devastating update for heartbroken mother whose three children died in horrific house fire – as investigators make key discoveries

A mother of seven was sedated after detectives told her three of her children died in a house fire believed to have been started by their father.

Dean Heasman, 28, is alleged to have barricaded his partner Stacey Gammage, 29, and their children in their government home in Lalor Park, in Sydney’s west, at around 1am on Sunday and then set it on fire.

Two boys, aged three and six, were taken to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition but died from their injuries.

After firefighters extinguished the flames, they found the body of a 10-month-old girl. Her body was removed from the site during forensic investigation Sunday afternoon.

Detectives searched the home throughout Sunday for clues about how the fire started and whether Heasman may have used accelerants.

Among the evidence taken from the home were two water bottles containing a brown liquid that resembled gasoline.

Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia that all three front rooms of the house were quickly engulfed in flames, before electrical cables sparked and the house demolished.

Witnesses said they heard Heasman scream, “Let me die here,” as he tried to prevent neighbors and emergency services from rescuing his children.

Dean Heasman, 28, and Stacey Gammage, 29, are pictured together. They had seven children, three of whom are now deceased

Pictured: A forensic investigator recovered a bottle of a brown, gasoline-like liquid from the scene where three children were burned alive

Pictured: Forensic personnel hold a second bottle of the tea-colored liquid during an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Neighbor Jarrod Hawkins, whose daughter was friends with one of the surviving children, was hailed a hero after he rushed to the burning house and rescued a nine-year-old girl and her three brothers, ages 4, 7 and 11.

The oldest boy told his rescuers, “Daddy tried to kill me.”

After Mr Hawkins left the burning house with four children, they were placed on the other side of the road until another neighbour, Damien Dubois, decided to move them away from the scene.

“I had four children and they were cold so we picked them up and took them into the back room of my house,” Mr Dubois told Daily Mail Australia.

‘I tried to comfort them. The two youngest children didn’t say anything, so I picked them up and took them away from all this trauma.

“They didn’t have to see it all.”

Mr. Dubois recalls that a few weeks ago, Heasman took some children on a quad bike tour through the neighborhood.

The government property in Lalor Park was quickly engulfed in flames in the early hours of Sunday morning

Pictured: A firefighter and rescue worker clearing soot and debris from the site on Sunday

Neighbors and family friends laid flowers for the three children who died on Sunday

Friends of the family arrived at the scene after news of the tragedy broke on Sunday, with many leaving flowers.

Family friend Douglas King added: ‘I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.

‘[Heasman] was always with his children and he was good to the children – kind, calm and collected. He told me last year that he had a newborn baby on the way.’

Mr King said he was devastated by the tragedy, as he considered Heasman, whom he affectionately called “Deano Reamo” and “Deano the Albino”, to be a “respectful person with morals”.

He added: ‘Deano was a good person. It’s crazy. It’s devastating. I hope the kids fight through it. I hope they survive. I feel sorry for Stacey.’

Another said: ‘I’ve known Deano since we were grasshoppers in nursery and I can’t believe this.’

Neighbor Jarrod Hawkins (pictured hugging his son) was praised for rushing into the burning home, with police saying his actions “saved even more lives.”

Neighbor Damien Dubois (pictured) rushed to the scene to bring the surviving children inside, away from the burning house

At a press conference on Sunday, Blacktown Acting Police Chief Jason Pietruszka said Hawkins’ actions at the scene “resulted in more lives being lost”.

He could not confirm whether Heasman was armed when he tried to stop others from entering the property, but he said he would investigate that in the coming days.

Chief Inspector of the homicide squad Danny Doherty said: Police treated the fire as a multiple domestic homicide.

He said Mrs Gammage and her surviving children were being treated at Westmead Hospital for burns and smoke inhalation.

Heasman is in a medically induced coma in intensive care under police guard. No charges have been filed.

“At this stage it appears the 28-year-old is responsible for the tragic deaths of several young people,” Detective Chief Inspector Doherty said.

“We allege that the 28-year-old man took measures to prevent the youths in the vehicle from being rescued.”