The bodies of a family of four killed in a suspected arson attack on their home in Ireland have arrived at a church ahead of their funeral, as two other children remain fighting for their lives in hospital.
Philip and Kim English and their two sons, Callum, 12, and Jayden, nine, died when their house in Waterford was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Their devastated relatives and friends are now preparing to say their final goodbyes at a joint funeral at the Sacred Heart Church in Waterford on Monday afternoon.
Four separate hearses carrying the victims' bodies arrived at the church on Sunday, with bells ringing out as their coffins were removed.
In heartbreaking scenes, players from Johnville Football Club, where 12-year-old Callum played, formed a guard of honour on the church steps.
The four wooden coffins, two of which were white, were lined up side by side before being carried into the parish centre. One of the coffins was draped in the Irish tricolour.
The family members will lie in repose for three hours on Sunday afternoon before their funeral Mass at 1pm on Monday. They will then be laid to rest together at Kilbarry Cemetery.
The tragedy has left the city of Waterford in mourning, with hundreds of residents gathering for vigils and laying flowers outside the family's burnt-out home in the Birchwood estate.
The bodies of a family of four killed in a suspected arson attack on their home in Ireland have arrived at a church ahead of their funeral
Philip and Kim English (above) and their two sons, Callum, 12, and Jayden, nine, died when their house in Waterford was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Tuesday morning
Jayden, nine, who was born with a heart condition, had undergone heart surgery just two weeks before he was killed in the fire
Meanwhile, two other children who survived the devastating blaze, a 14-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy, remain seriously ill at Children's Health Ireland in Crumlin, Dublin.
Their aunt, Jackie English, revealed that the teenage girl was beginning to show signs of improvement, although her younger brother remained in a critical condition.
Speaking to the Irish Mail on Sunday, Philip's sister said: 'All I know is that [he] is still critical, and [she] is just more or less slowly making progress, but we still don't know.'
Describing the attack on her family as an 'absolute disgrace', she said she had been left 'distraught' by the loss of her brother, sister-in-law and two nephews.
'I'm numb. I'm in shock. I'm lost for words right now.'
Ms English, who lives just around the corner from her late brother's home, recalled the terrifying moment neighbours came rushing to her door to tell her the house was on fire.
'I just got my door nearly kicked down asking me to go up, [being told] my brother's house was on fire by [Philip and] Kim's neighbours.'
The deadly blaze broke out shortly after 5am on Tuesday when an incendiary device was used to set fire to the family's home.
Investigators believe the attack may have been linked to a campaign of intimidation involving a drugs gang, although the family themselves were not believed to be involved in criminal activity.
Two people have since appeared in court in connection with the attack.
Cian Stacey, 21, and Jessica Dalton, 31, appeared at a special sitting of Clonmel District Court on Saturday.
Their devastated relatives and friends are now preparing to say their final goodbyes at a joint funeral at the Sacred Heart Church in Waterford on Monday afternoon
Ms Companjen described her nephew Callum as ‘such a bright boy who lived so care free’
Four separate hearses carrying the victims' bodies arrived at the church on Sunday, with bells ringing out as their coffins were removed
Both were charged with one count of criminal damage and two counts of assault causing serious harm.
They were remanded in custody and are due to appear before Waterford District Court on Tuesday.
Uniformed gardaí have also been maintaining a presence at the hospital where the two surviving children are being treated.
A senior source told the Irish Mail on Sunday: 'They are just erring on the side of caution. There's no way anyone is going to go near the hospital to do anything to the kids.'
The source added that the children 'obviously haven't been interviewed yet, so their first account will be really important'.
'Gardaí will have to make sure that hasn't been interfered with in any way.'
As the family prepares for Monday's funeral, heartbreaking tributes have continued to pour in for the four victims.
Kim's younger sister, Charlene Companjen, described her as the 'light of my life' in an emotional social media post.
'I have never met anyone as beautiful and resilient as you,' she wrote. 'You cared so much about everyone around and I truly admire you for that. You broke the cycle and became the best mother I have ever seen.
'I'm grateful I called you the night before [you] were taken away from me.'
Ms Companjen revealed that the last words she had spoken to her sister were: 'I love you.'
She also paid tribute to her two young nephews, describing Callum as 'such a bright boy who lived so care free'.
Remembering nine-year-old Jayden, she wrote that he was 'always up to trouble. I will miss hearing you call me your favourite aunty. Every time I came to visit we were inseparable.
'We'd play together or simply just have a cuddle and watch Paw Patrol. I'd give anything to hold you one more time.'
The four wooden coffins, two of which were white, were lined up side by side before being carried into the parish centre. One of the coffins was draped in the Irish tricolour
In heartbreaking scenes, players from Johnville Football Club, where 12-year-old Callum played, formed a guard of honour on the church steps
Hundreds of mourners previously gathered at the Sacred Heart Church for a candlelit vigil in memory of the family, while balloons were released in their honour
She described her brother-in-law Philip as 'an amazing father' and said she 'loved [him] instantly' when he was first introduced to Kim's family.
Jayden, who was born with a heart condition, had undergone heart surgery just two weeks before he was killed in the fire.
The youngster had been described as a 'heart warrior' and regularly travelled to Dublin for hospital appointments with the help of Ireland's dedicated children's ambulance service, BUMBLEance.
His older brother Callum was a keen footballer who played for Johnville FC, where his parents were regular supporters on the sidelines.
The club has announced that Callum's number five shirt will be permanently retired in his memory.
The family's deaths have sent shockwaves through the local community, with residents struggling to comprehend how such an atrocity could have happened.
Waterford City South councillor Seamus Ryan told the Irish Mail on Sunday: 'I know the community very well. I know the family very well.
'This is an horrific tragedy, an unprecedented tragedy for the family, for the people of Waterford, and I can tell you, that community is hurting and hurting badly.'
The Labour councillor praised local parish priest Fr Gerry Chestnutt for supporting the grieving family, as well as the emergency workers who were confronted with the horrific aftermath of the blaze.
'I know from talking to someone [there], it wasn't easy what they came upon that night, that morning.
'I just hope now that they will be given all the support services they need and the counselling to deal with and come to terms with this horrific tragedy.
'My thoughts and prayers are with the extended English family here in Waterford. It's just horrific.
'There's a pall over the local community, it will take a very long time to get over this.'
Hundreds of mourners previously gathered at the Sacred Heart Church for a candlelit vigil in memory of the family, while balloons were released in their honour.
Addressing the congregation, Fr Chestnutt said: 'Each one of us knows that what happened in Birch Avenue… should never, ever have happened.
'An innocent family, preparing for a new day, should have done what they did every day: parents preparing their children for school.
'An innocent family taken from our midst in a most horrific and violent way.'
The family has requested that only family flowers be brought to the funeral, with donations instead going to Crumlin Children's Hospital, where the two surviving children continue to receive treatment.
Gardaí are continuing their investigation into the killings and have appealed for anyone with information about the attack to come forward.
Ireland's Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has said detectives have been given every resource necessary to investigate the deaths, with further arrests expected as inquiries continue.