By David Southwell For Daily Mail Australia
15:38 07 Jun 2023, updated 15:38 07 Jun 2023
- House fire claims 13-year-old boy’s life
- His brother and friend are fighting for their lives
The devastated parents of a 13-year-old boy who died in a house fire say they can only grab fleeting moments to mourn because their other son is still fighting for life in hospital.
The blaze ripped through the Mongoo family’s home in the West Australian city of Geraldton, 400km north of Perth, last Thursday.
Nulla Mongoo, 13, suffered severe burns to 90 per cent of his body and died at Perth Children’s Hospital on Monday.
Matt, Nullar’s 14-year-old brother, remains unconscious in hospital where he was reported to be in a serious condition on Wednesday night.
A 12-year-old male friend of the boys, who was sleeping over, also remains in hospital care and is in a critical condition.
Melissa and Matthew Mongoo said the tragedy was overwhelming.
‘I miss my baby,’ Ms Mongoo said through tears.
‘Yesterday I locked myself away because it’s just too much.’
‘It’s really hard, at the moment, we’re just confused,’ an emotional Mr Mongoo told Seven News.
The parents said they were spending every minute at Matt’s side and hadn’t been able to organise a funeral for Nulla.
‘We haven’t even had time to mourn properly, cry or anything,’ Mr Mongoo said.
Their home was gutted by the fire and all that remains are the four walls.
‘We have no home now,’ Ms Mongoo said.
The couple are pleading for the public’s help to restart their lives from scratch.
A GoFundMe page has been created by Nadine Ryan, Ms Mongoo’s daughter-in-law.
The page describes Nulla as ‘brave and strong’ and says he ‘fought right to the very end’.
‘We will all miss his beautiful big smile and funny sense of humour,’ the page reads.
‘The family, his friends and our community are all devastated and are feeling the loss.’
The page reveals the family lost another son, aged 25, in 2017 and describes the heartache Ms Mongoo is experiencing as ‘unimaginable’.
‘No human, mother or parent wishes this upon anyone,’ it reads.
‘The family are seeking the support of family, friends and the community for donations big or small, or please share this page to your networks help raise funds.’
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.