Heater in baby's room believed to have started fatal Christchurch fire, family say
Thursday, 16 July 2020
A heater in a 9-month-old's bedroom is believed to have ignited a fatal house fire in Christchurch, family say.
Brayden, 8, and 9-month-old Arianna died in a fire at their three-bedroom house on Vivian St, Burwood, on Tuesday night. The baby's father crawled into the house to try get them out, but was forced to retreat.
Brayden, who was found in the hallway outside his sister's bedroom, where the blaze was “unsurvivable”, is believed to have been trying to save Arianna, his family say.
Three others in the house survived, warned by smoke alarms.
Brayden’s grandmother, Angela Martin, told Stuff the children's mother, Nicole Mulligan, believed a fan heater was to blame for the blaze.
“It was a reasonably new heater they had bought to keep the baby's room warm. [They] think it was the heater because there's no other reason.'
Fire investigators and police could be seen inside the home on Thursday morning removing items from the property. Authorities are yet to say what caused the fire.
‘MY BABIES HAVE DIED’
Martin earlier told Stuff she learned of the tragedy when their mother phoned her, hysterical, shortly after she arrived home and was told two of her four children were dead.
“She said to me, ‘my babies have died, my babies have died, I’m having a nightmare’,” Martin recalled.
“I thought she was having a nightmare and I said ‘what are you talking about’ and she said ‘Brayden and Arianna’, and she was screaming down the phone.”
After receiving the news, Martin called her son Shaun Gibson, Brayden’s dad, who lives in Wellington, and told him what happened.
Arianna's father, Des Cooke was woken by a smoke alarm and able to save the two other children in the home.
“He walked into the room and just said ‘I tried so hard, I’m so sorry, I tried’.”
Cooke said he thought Brayden managed to get out of the house as he slept in the same room as his 6-year-old brother, Lucas.
“He thought he got them all out, and he ran back in and ended up having to go back out … and said ‘where’s Brayden’, and Lucas said ‘he didn’t come out’, so Des went back in with one of the neighbours to try and find Brayden.”
‘HE KNEW HE WAS LOVED’
Brayden, who attended Bishopdale Primary, had an “absolute heart of gold”, Martin said.
He had stayed with her every fortnight since he was born. On Saturday, Martin took Brayden to a swimming lesson, then asked him whether he wanted to stay at her house that night.
“He said ‘no, I want to go home because I think my mum will miss me’, and then he said ‘maybe I’ll miss my mum too’.
“He knew he was really loved. He protected his brothers and sisters as best he could, he doted over his two baby sisters.'
Although he currently lived in Wellington, Gibson was “very involved” in his son’s life.
About three weeks ago, Gibson and Brayden played video games together at Martin’s home and were “cracking up laughing”.
Martin said she felt like her heart had been ripped out when she received the news of Brayden’s death.
“We’re absolutely devastated.
“Nicole loves all of her kids so much… not one of those kids ever thought that they weren't loved.”
A Givelittle page created for the family said Cooke “heroically” saved two of the children, and was injured when he went back into the house to try save the other two. The page had raised more than $110,000 for the family by 3pm Thursday.
“Your donations will help the family of Brayden (8-year-old) and Arianna (9-month-old) cover funeral costs and help them get back on their feet without the financial burden that will accompany this horrific loss,” she said.