Five boys and their 34-year-old father are feared dead after flames engulfed three homes on Russell Island, south-east of Brisbane, early on Sunday morning.
Queensland Police Superintendent Mat Kelly said fire crews were called to Todman Street just after 6:20am and found a distressed woman outside a house that was "fully alight."
"We're still speaking with this poor lady who has lost her entire family. She is extremely distressed at this point in time," said Superintendent Kelly.
Police and fire investigators are still searching for the boys aged 11, 10, four-year-old twins and their brother who was just three years old.
"It's tragic … young boys that could have become men into the future," Superintendent Kelly said.
"A man has lost his life as well, truly devastating for the community at Russell Island and certainly for the emergency services as well."
The 28-year-old woman — the man's wife and the boys' mother — was inside the home at the time of the blaze but managed to escape unharmed, police said.
The flames spread to two houses either side of the property, sending smoke billowing above Russell Island, home to around 3,700 people, a short ferry ride from Redland Bay, south-east of Brisbane.
At 11:30am, one of the three homes was still alight with firefighters having trouble reaching the flames due to a collapsed roof, said John Cawcutt, Assistant Commissioner, QFES.
"With the roof coming down, it makes it very difficult for the water to get in and fully extinguished the fire so that's one of the reasons we will be there for the next few days," Mr Cawcutt said.
Fire investigators are waiting for the area to be declared safe before they can enter the properties to find the cause of the blaze. The investigation will include whether the home had functioning fire alarms.
Witness Michelle James saw black smoke rising from the property from her verandah on a neighbouring street.
“I heard an explosion, and I thought it was a gunshot," she said. "My dog, my puppy was just going berserk."
"I looked out at my verandah and I said to my partner, 'There's a house burning'."
Ms James said she could only see one house on fire, but she later learned that another two others beside it were alight.
"The one on the end copped it the worst,” she said.
Another witness, who didn't want to be named, said she heard sirens just after six o'clock, which caught her attention as normally they're not used by the local fire service.
She said police have cordoned off the street and there was police tape around all three properties.
"One house is completely destroyed and the one right next to it looked like the roof was going to collapse," she said.
Paramedics have attended to nine patients, including neighbours, according to Queensland Police.
Queensland Ambulance said two adult patients were taken to Redland Hospital and Princess Alexandra Hospital in a stable condition.
Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the images emerging of the fire were "deeply troubling".
"These are the kinds of communities where everyone knows everyone, and it's a place where people matter. And in tight-knit communities, these incidents rock really, really hard," he said.
Police are appealing to anyone with relevant information, or video of the fire, to come forward.
Story by Grace Nakamura
Original story link https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-06/qld-house-fire-russell-island/102694428
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