Amanda Turner Tribute

y Gemma Jones

October 24, 2008 12:20pm

FRIENDS of Amanda Turner have paid tribute to the bubbly teenager who died in a caravan fire in Sydney this morning.

They said her grieving siblings were pleading with their traumatised father Greg to seek medical attention for burns he suffered as he tried to save his 17 year-old daughter.

Meanwhile in a morning of triple tragedy, a baby has been burned at a Sydney shopping centre and details have emerged of  how a three-year-old boy has died despite a neighbour's attempts to kick in a door and save him from a house fire.

Mr Turner tried desperately to reach Amanda as flames engulfed the caravan in the backyard of the family's Insignia St, Sadleir home in the early hours of this morning.

"I saw him for a couple of minutes, his right hand is all burnt and his face is blistered," family friend Karen Coleman said.

"He hasn't gone to the doctors yet, his other daughter is trying to get him to go to the hospital."

Tragic memories of Amanda Turner: Moving pictures from the scene

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Amanda doted on her three nephews and a niece.

Her younger brothers Sean, 14, Matthew, 11, were home at the time of the blaze.

Their devastated mother Debbie called 000 as Mr Turner and a neighbour battled the flames which levelled the modest caravan.

Neighbour Paul Kelly said the family had purchased the caravan for their five children to use.

"The caravan was for study when all the kids were studying, they had a small music system in there for barbecues," he said.

Mr Kelly ran out when the fire brigade woke him but he only realised later that Amanda had been in the caravan.

Neighbours said she had moved out of the home and was studying at a local tech.

"She lives somewhere else, she only comes here if she can't get to the other address," Mr Kelly said.

Fire investigators and police are working to determine the cause of the blaze.