A one-year-old boy died in a house fire in Collie, Western Australia, on Sunday afternoon. Emergency services were called to a residence on Howie Place at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time. Several occupants managed to escape the burning home safely, but the child was discovered deceased inside a cot that was engulfed in flames.
The toddler's aunt, Kea Close, told 7News that the family is heartbroken over the loss of the 16-month-old. She recounted that the child's mother was outside with two other children when the fire started in a bedroom. "She couldn't see anything from the smoke but when she got to the cot, it was just in flames. There was nothing she could do," Close said.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services extinguished the blaze. The source of the fire has not yet been determined. Ms. Close stated that the fire spread rapidly, destroying the entire house.
A spokesperson for WA Police confirmed that the child's death is not being treated as suspicious. Detectives are preparing a report for the coroner.