A DEVASTATED dad has told how his wife and two kids were set to join him for a new life in America before they were killed in a house fire.
Fatoumatta Hydara, 28, Naeemah, one, and Fatimah Drammeh, three, died in a horror blaze at the first-floor flat in Nottingham last Sunday.
Their neighbour Jamie Barrow, 31, has been charged with three counts of murder.
Aboubacarr Drammeh, 40, has now told how he was in the process of securing US visas for his family so they could join him in Minnesota, where he works as a biomedical technologist.
But his dreams of a happy future were tragically snatched away when the blaze killed both youngsters and his wife, whom he'd been married to since 2014.
Aboubacarr, who was introduced to Fatoumatta through her uncle, said they had "so much to look forward to as a young family".
He added: "We had an interview booked for November 29 and that would have been the final interview before we would hopefully have secured their visas.
"That's not going to happen now and I can't understand why."
Aboubacarr had raced back from America after the fire tore through the family home in the early hours of Sunday.
His children were rushed to hospital but sadly couldn't be saved and were declared dead shortly after.
Fatoumatta was placed on a life support machine but died on Tuesday morning.
He said: "It was 5am when I got the call. I was praying and afterwards I saw I had missed five calls from the children's grandmother.
"I called back and she started crying.
"She said there had been a fire and the kids didn't make it and that Fatoumatta was in the intensive care unit."
Aboubacarr said he last spoke to his wife a few hours before the fire.
He said: "I spoke to her on that Saturday night at about midnight. We joked among ourselves and kept talking about the upcoming trip and about her coming to America.
"We last saw each other in September when we went bowling.
"Family was so important to us and spending time together. It was really important to us."
Meanwhile, Fatoumatta's heartbroken mum Aminata Dibba said she can feel "my heart aching every day" after losing her beloved daughter and two grandchildren.
The 44-year-old said of her daughter: "Everyone who knew her loved her. She was very vibrant and bubbly - and she was always smiling."
Nottinghamshire Police said a joint investigation with the fire service found the blaze was started deliberately.
Suspect Jamie Barrow appeared from custody at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Friday.
Barrow, wearing a grey sweatshirt top and jogging bottoms, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address during the brief hearing.
He was remanded in custody to next appear at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday.
