WA: Lack of electricity to deadly house fire sparks suspicion

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2007
WA: Lack of electricity to deadly house fire sparks suspicion

By Vincent Morello

SYDNEY, April 7 AAP - A house fire has killed a family of three in Perth while former
basketball star Luc Longley's home was destroyed in a separate fire near the city.

The fire which killed a mother and her two young sons was in a house without electrical
power, causing fire investigators to question whether candles were being used for lighting.

The blaze engulfed the home about 9pm (AWST) yesterday in Finnerty Street in the suburb
of Karrinyup.

A 49-year-old woman and her sons, aged 8 and 12, were killed and burned beyond immediate
recognition, a WA Police spokesman said.

The police arson squad has begun a forensic investigation and is treating the cause
of the fire as suspicious.

Investigators are still determining if the house had a gas connection and if it was
supplying gas to any indoor appliances.

They have yet to rule out if candles were being used indoors for lighting as they sift
through the destruction.

"It's a slow process and we're going through it step by step," said WA Police arson
squad investigator Gary Williams.

At a separate blaze this morning at Fremantle, Longley's $2 million home was destroyed
but some of his memorabilia was saved, fire investigators say.

Longley helped his partner, his two children and their two friends escape from the
$2 million family home before it went up in flames.

It started about 3am today at the Montreal Street home, a Fire and Emergency Services
Association (FESA) spokesman said.

The converted industrial premises was well alight by the time fire crews arrived but
all five occupants escaped without injury.

The sports star is being hailed as a hero, but is believed to have lost some of his
sporting memorabilia.

Crews were able to stop the fire from spreading to an adjacent garage which housed
up to five of Longley's vehicles, but the home was left gutted.

Ironically, the family moved a number of boxes into the garage yesterday which contained
some items from his basketball career.

But it is unknown whether the fire destroyed the three championship rings he won while
playing in the US National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Chicago Bulls during the
1990s, the FESA spokesman said.

Investigators have yet to determine a cause of the fire but are not treating it as suspicious.

The 218cm-tall former star spent 10 years playing for a number of basketball teams
in the NBA and also played for the Australian Boomers team.

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