Melbourne: A mother who burned to death in a car blaze with her two young daughters has been remembered by her local church.
Jasmine, a Keralite, who was in her 30s and worked as a registered nurse, attended the Lifespring Pentecostal Church in Cranbourne East, Melbourne. She was living separated from her husband.
Her body and those of her two daughters, Evelyn and Caroline aged under six were found on Thursday night after emergency services were called to the Western Port Highway in Cranbourne West after reports of a car fire by a passer-by.
A charred black mark remains on the road at the scene with two bouquets of flowers laid nearby.
‘I’m sorry you could not get the help,’ a card attached to one of the bouquets reads.
Lifespring Pastor Wills Thomas on Sunday morning offered prayers for the surviving husband and father James.
‘Let us pray for brother James as we all know he is grieving because of the loss of his children and his wife,’ he said.
The family recently relocated from Melbourne’s north to Lyndhurst in the city’s south-east and were occasional visitors to the church.
They are understood to have attended a service last week.
‘We have no knowledge of any circumstances leading to the tragedy… We do pray for and support the bereaved,’ Thomas said.
Detectives from the arson and explosives squad are still investigating the source of the fire.
‘The exact circumstances leading up to the fire are still being determined, however, police are not looking for anyone else at this time,’ police said.
The car’s burned shell has been removed for further investigation.
Nearby neighbours said they heard ‘pops’ on the night of the blaze and described the fire as intense.
One resident said a truck with a yellow siren was on the scene well before other emergency crews arrived.
Police are urging anyone who might have information or dashcam footage linked to the incident to call the police.