Double Tragedy: Man Charged Over Deaths of Two Young Girls in Sydenham House Fire
- A 24-year-old man has been charged with two counts of negligent manslaughter and one count of negligently causing serious injury over the deaths of two young girls in a house fire.
- The girls, aged 5 and 1, were home alone with a three-year-old boy when the fire broke out in Sydenham last year.
- The children’s mother, Shania Lee, 26, was also charged with negligent manslaughter and serious injury over the incident.
Sydenham is reeling after a 24-year-old man was charged over the deaths of two young girls in a devastating house fire that ripped through a home on Fergus Ct last year. The girls, aged 5 and 1, were home alone with a three-year-old boy when the fire broke out on September 8, 2024.
The children were rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital, but the two girls passed away three days later from their injuries. The boy survived. The 24-year-old man, who was already in custody on unrelated matters, will appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court in January.
Last week, the children’s mother, Shania Lee, 26, was also charged with two counts of negligent manslaughter and one count of negligently causing serious injury in relation to the children. Police say Lee has never provided a statement about what happened during the tragic incident that claimed the lives of her two girls.
Details about the deadly blaze were aired as Lee applied for bail via video link. Within two minutes of Lee leaving her children home alone, a smoke alarm sounded. Emergency services found the three children alive but unconscious. They were taken to hospital, and the two young girls died three days later.
Lee allegedly admitted seeing smoke and hearing screaming as she watched home security cameras on her phone after leaving, but she didn’t call triple-0. She fronted the Melbourne Magistrates Court where she successfully applied for bail. Lee will return to court in January.