A woman, 43, and a boy, 6, were taken to hospital with serious burns after an incident at a house in Red Hill which police are treating as suspicious.
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Police were called to the La Perouse Street property about 9.40am Tuesday after reports of a disturbance and a house fire.
Tim Baxter ran out of the office of a design firm nearby when he and his colleagues heard screams just after 9am.
"We heard screams up the road and there was a dog going nuts," he said.
"There was already a fair few people up there ... I didn't know what was happening. I assumed they were running after the dog but it was obviously a lot more than that.
"I couldn't see any smoke. I went out again about 10 minutes later and there was a police car, fire truck and ambulance there."
Police, forensics, and the criminal investigations unit all responded to the incident and firefighters extinguished the fire.
Station Sergeant Joanne Cameron said the woman and four children in the house at the time of the fire were believed to live at the house.
"We believe that fire was suspicious and that is what the basis of our arson investigation now relies on," Sergeant Cameron said.
"The welfare of those other people in the house is being taken care of as we speak."
Police weren't seeking any "third party" suspects in relation to the incident and said there were no ongoing public safety concerns.
A crime scene was established with several road blocks in place.
Sergeant Cameron said the investigation was confined to one house and did not appear to have affected Red Hill Primary School across the road.
She would not say whether the house was known to police.
"I am very confident that in the next few days as this investigation continues we'll be able to release that information to the public," Sergeant Cameron said.
"It relates to this one residence in La Perouse Street. There are no concerns any members of the public should have in relation to what's happened here today."
Sergeant Cameron said the fire was inside the house but would not comment on how the fire started or the extent of the damage.
"All those inquires about who lives here, how the fire started today, the suspicious nature, all of those questions are part of our investigation and I won't be able to comment further," she said.
An ACT Policing spokesman said the woman and boy were from the same family and the other three children were in the care of relatives, including their father.
"The investigation is in its early stages and as we speak to everyone involved, a clearer picture will be formed.
"It should be remembered that two key people who can assist with our investigation remain in hospital, both in critical condition."
The spokesman said it was too early to speculate whether any charges would be laid.
The boy was flown to Sydney's Westmead Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
The woman remained in a critical but stable condition at Canberra Hospital.
La Perouse Street was closed between Dalrymple and Fortitude Street as of 3pm, but was expected to re-open late Tuesday afternoon.
An AFP forensics team remained at the house on Tuesday night.