Grieving family says goodbye to young Burwood fire victims

The funeral for the two children who died in a house fire in Christchurch last week was held on Thursday.

Up to 100 people attended today's funeral at The Piano: Centre for Music on Armagh St for nine-month-old Arianna Mulligan-Cooke and Braydon Mulligan-Gibson, 8.

The pair were killed when the Vivian St house in Burwood went up in flames on July 14.

It is believed the fire was caused by a fan heater that was left on in Arianna’s room.

Her partner and Arianna’s father, Des Cooke, was in the house when it caught fire.

He escaped the blaze with two other children who were in the house.

Fire investigators are due to speak to the children’s mother Nicole Mulligan next week.

Mulligan said she had gone grocery shopping when the fire started about 10.45pm.

A Givealittle page set up for the family had raised more than $190,000 Thursday, and $7300 in vouchers and $1200 in cash has been raised by charity NZ Gifts of Love and Strength.

Gifts of Love and Strength founder Vicki-Anne Parker, who has been supporting the family, said the Givealittle money would not be given out until a trust fund is set up and it is decided how the money will be split between Mulligan and Cooke.

A lawyer was assisting for free, she said.

Said Parker: “They are a family that have come from very little money and this money that they’re getting is not there immediately because they want to protect their other two children that are surviving with the money.”

Parker said Mulligan is looking at using the funds raised to buy a house with her two remaining children, Lucas, 6, and Brianna, 2, who survived the fire.

Parker said the vouchers will go towards things like purchasing items lost in the fire.