A three-year-old boy has died in a house fire in Melbourne's outer west, and his father remains in a coma after suffering severe burns while attempting to rescue him. The blaze broke out just after midnight on Monday at a property on Newbury Street in Werribee.
Details of the Incident
Emergency services arrived to find the single-storey brick home fully engulfed in flames. Fire Rescue Victoria reported that approximately 40 firefighters, including crews from the Country Fire Authority, worked for about an hour to bring the fire under control. After extinguishing the blaze, police confirmed that a child was found deceased inside the home. A male resident was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.
Victim Identified
The preschooler was identified as Jordan Dashwood through a GoFundMe page established by a family friend, Jardine Jackson. Jackson described Jordan as "a bright light in this world, full of innocent joy," adding that his absence leaves a void that can never be filled. Jordan's mother, Janelle, and his older brother managed to escape the property, but his father, Jeremy, remains in a coma in the hospital. The 40-year-old father of two suffered burns while trying to save his son, according to multiple media reports. Two family dogs also died in the fire.
Investigation Underway
Authorities remained at the scene late Monday morning, with forensic personnel examining the charred house. The property was cordoned off with police tape, and ash lay beneath a blackened, hollowed-out front door frame. Police said the circumstances surrounding the fire are under investigation but are not being treated as suspicious. An arson chemist is expected to attend the scene. Victoria police declined to comment on media reports that investigators would consider whether an e-scooter battery may have sparked the blaze. The ABC reported that firefighters were told children were trapped inside the burning house, but some managed to get out.
"In a single night, this family's entire world was reduced to ashes," Jackson wrote on the fundraising page. "They did not just lose their home; they lost their precious little boy, their loyal pets, their memories."
