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A mother and daughter killed in a fire in Footscray this week had an "enormous" love for each other, according to their distraught family.
Tanya and Zoe Elizabeth Burmeister were squatting in the former Kinnears rope factory in Footscray when a blaze erupted at 11.30pm on Wednesday. The mother and daughter were killed, along with an unidentified male known as 'Bluey'.
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A man has been charged with murder after allegedly starting the fire that killed three squatters in a warehouse in Footscray Wednesday night. Courtesy Seven Network.
Darren Patrick Clover, 52, is alleged to have lit the fire. He has been charged with three counts of murder, arson causing death and arson.
Sharren Jeffs said she was devastated to learn of the death of her daughter, Tanya, and beloved granddaughter, Zoe, in such tragic circumstances.
Zoe Elizabeth Burmeister, 15, died in the Footscray fire with her Mum, Tanya. Photo: Facebook
"The love they had for each other was just enormous," she said. "I didn't know they were living there, I only found out it was them when my other daughter called to tell me."
Ms Jeffs said she was upset and angry that she hadn't heard directly from Victoria Police.
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"No-one has rung me up, it's very surprising. I rang Geelong police station to confirm it was them, I gave them their details and they called back and said 'it wasn't your daughter and granddaughter'.
"I was rightly confused, so I called my daughter again and Tanya's father and they both confirmed it was Tanya and Zoe.
Cans of food and flowers left at the scene of the factory fire which claimed three lives. Photo: Ben Millar
"I thought Zoe was under the DHS but she wanted to be with her mum," she said. "You can't just tie her up, they wanted to be together."
The owner of a nearby milk bar said she had not seen Zoe, but Tanya and the unidentified man would regularly come by to use the pay phone and withdraw money from the ATM.