The father of three girls who died in a Melbourne house fire remains in a coma in hospital and has been unable to speak with police about the tragic blaze.
Mother Kaoru Kikuchi and her daughters, aged three, five and seven, died in the blaze early on Sunday morning, having returned from a night out eating ice cream.
Their bodies were found huddled together in a bathroom.
A neighbour told 9 NEWS he heard the cries of father Hiroyuki and called emergency services.
"The whole face was black - and he was under shock," Hanish Poonia said.
Hiroyuki owned several Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, which had struggled during the pandemic.
"Let me be very clear here - we have not made any determination whatsoever over the cause of that fire," Acting Deputy Commissioner Robert Hill said.
Neighbour Kelly Vu told 9 NEWS the girls were "beautiful souls [who] got taken so early".
"They are gorgeous, they are the best kids and they're always cheerful," Vu said.
"Most people on the lake know them because they are so sweet."
Another neighbour, Alex Rodriguez, said they were a loving family.
"Mother was beautiful, she was a loving, devoted mother - the girls were beautiful," he said.
9 NEWS said police had visited the home in recent weeks, but it wasn't clear why.
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