A devastated father has shared his pain after losing his two daughters in a house fire while they had a long weekend sleep-out.
Shanzel and Ruby Brewer, aged 10 and 13, were found dead on Sunday after sleeping in a makeshift granny flat without smoke alarms on a Tasmanian property.
Police and the Tasmania Fire Service were called to the property in Turners Marsh, about 30km north of Launceston, around 3am Sunday morning after reports a shed was on fire.
Three other children were asleep in the main house and unharmed by the fire.
Their father, Clifford Brewer, took to Facebook to pay tribute to the “best thing that ever happened to me.”
Relative Jason Wells has created stickers to be sold in an attempt to raise money for the family.
“Please get behind this cause and help a Tassie family suffering the loss of their young girls lives tragically taken earlier this morning,” he posted on Sunday.
A GoFundMe page has also been set up for the family and has raised $650 so far.
Inspector John King told gathered media on Sunday that the family was distraught.
“The family are extremely distraught … the father of the two little girls had initially called in the fire to emergency services,” Inspector King said.
“Not only have the two little girls unfortunately perished in this fire, the three other children were in the main house.”
Preliminary investigations have found the fire may have been started by a faulty electrical cord used to power the shed.
“An extension cord and an electrical heater in the flat are forming a major part of the investigation,” Inspector King said.
The police are preparing a report for the coroner.
