Key facts
- A landlord was repeatedly warned about improperly installed smoke alarms before a fatal house fire in Queensland in 2023.
- The fire resulted in the deaths of a father and five children.
- The homeowner was fined $774 for improper installation in 2024, but no conviction was recorded.
- The house had known issues with wiring, power points, and outdated smoke alarms.
- Fire investigators could not rule out arson as the cause of the blaze.
- An inquest into the deaths will examine alarm compliance and emergency service response.
A landlord was repeatedly warned about improperly installed smoke alarms before a house fire that killed a father and five children in Queensland in 2023, a coroner has heard. Deputy state coroner Donald MacKenzie held a pre-inquest conference into the Russell Island deaths on Tuesday.
No witness recalls hearing the sound of an alarm during the blaze. The owner was fined $774 for improper installation in 2024, the maximum possible penalty under Queensland law, though a conviction was not recorded. The fire occurred on August 6, 2023, in a two-story wooden house that had been renovated in 2013.
Five children, aged three, four, 10, and 11, died in the blaze. Their 34-year-old father died after running into the fire to rescue them. The children's mother and father had been sleeping in a converted area underneath the house. The mother also attempted to enter the house but was forced back by the fire. Another adult woman escaped by leaping from a balcony.
The court heard that the Queensland Fire Department does not have a station on Russell Island, and vehicles must be ferried over, a process taking 45-60 minutes. A paramedic arrived within minutes at about 6:26 a.m., noting intense heat and flames. The mother was found in distress and unable to communicate that her children were inside. Rural firefighters arrived at 6:35 a.m.
The home had poor wiring, an exposed electrical box, and faulty power points. An extension cord ran from a double adapter in a child's bedroom to the understory area. The home's smoke alarms had not been updated to comply with 2017 laws that applied to tenancies renewed after January 2022, which impose additional safety measures. The homeowner claimed not to be aware of the legislative change.
The mother reportedly raised the issue of non-working smoke alarms with the owner, but nothing was done. No witness recalls hearing a smoke alarm sounding prior to or during the fire. Fire investigators could not identify the cause of the blaze and could not rule out arson.
Coroner MacKenzie will investigate whether legally installed fire alarms might have prevented the deaths, the adequacy of the emergency service response, and whether additional resources on the island could have made a difference. The inquest is scheduled to sit for 10 days in November, with 16 witnesses expected to testify.