'Every time I see her, I cry': Father of nine-year-old girl burnt in house fire speaks
The distraught father of a nine-year-old girl who is fighting for her life after suffering serious burns in a Sydney house fire says he will quit work so he can devote all his time and energy to helping her recover.
"Every time I see her, I cry, because I don't want to see her in that condition," Justin Kbaba told reporters on Sunday.
Mr Kbaba was speaking a little more than a day after his daughter Miata was rescued from their burning Doonside home by his wife Mary.
Miata, her four siblings - 13, six and two-years-old and a nine-month-old infant - and their parents managed to escape alive.
The whole family is praying for Miata as she remains in a critical condition at the Children's Hospital at Westmead.
"They will be better when Miata comes home, they are missing Miata," Mr Kbaba said.
Mr Kbaba said he intends to resign as a storeman so he can spend as much time as possible with his daughter.
Mr Kbaba said he doesn't know how the fire started.
After putting his kids to sleep, checking the windows of his family home were secured and switching off all the power points in the common areas, Mr Kbaba went to bed exhausted.
Soon after, he was woken by Mrs Kbaba's cries.
"I realised something is wrong," he said.
"I woke up and there's fire everywhere - at the entrance and we can't get out, there's no way for us get out of the house we just have to get to the window."
Mr Kbaba described his worry as smoke quickly filled his home as the heat and the roar of the flames intensified.
"We couldn't see anyone, you couldn't hear anything (else)," he said.
Mrs Kbaba swung straight into action and managed to help three of her children out through a window.
"I don't know how she did it but she did it so fast," Mr Kbaba said.
Miata remained inside screaming and both her parents rushed to her rescue.
Mr Kbaba grabbed blindly for his daughter among the chaos of the burning home but soon found her and dragged her to the front door.
He was having trouble breathing so Mrs Kbaba returned inside the home to save her daughter.
Miata, her father said, is a kind, active and friendly girl.
"She's a very good kid, we love her very much," Mr Kbaba said.
News break – August 7
