A body has been found and three people have life-threatening burns after a house fire in Toowoomba on Queensland’s Darling Downs.
Emergency crews were called to the fire on Merritt Street in Harristown about 12:30am and arrived to find the house engulfed in flames.
A 34-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and four children managed to escape.
Police confirmed the body was found just after 9am, with formal identification of the deceased ongoing.
Earlier, police said in a statement a child was unaccounted-for.
It took four crews about half an hour to extinguish the fire. (ABC News: Peter Sanders)
Crime scene established
Darling Downs District Detective Inspector Renee Garske said in a press conference this morning police would investigate whether domestic violence was a factor.
“We are obviously in the early stages of the investigation and we are working through material to determine that,” she said.
She said a crime scene had been established but would not confirm if the fire was deliberately lit.
“We always establish a crime scene in relation to any tragic event and we will determine that through the course of our investigations,” she said.
Police are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.
Crews were called to the fire on Merritt Street in Harristown about 12:30am. (ABC News: Peter Sanders)
District Detective Inspector Garske said they have notified the homicide investigation unit to assist.
“At this stage because we are in the early stages of our investigation we are working through that information to determine the status of the relationships at that home address,” she said.
A woman and two children were taken to Toowoomba hospital in a critical condition while a man and two children suffered serious injuries.
“This is a tragic event and we are deeply saddened by this incident,”
she said.
“Our hearts go out to the Toowoomba community at this time.”
Detective Inspector Renee Garske says a crime scene has been established. (ABC News: Peter Sanders)
Residents call triple-0
Miles Blum who lives on the street said he heard commotion and people screaming and called triple-0 when he saw the fire.
“They were breaking glass to get out of the windows,” he said.
“Once they opened the windows up it all just went up.”
Miles Blum says he heard screaming before he saw the fire and called triple-0. (ABC News)
He said the people appeared to be “shaken up” when they escaped and the adults were “trying to get back in” to the house.
Earlier, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said the woman, a toddler and a girl had been taken to hospital with life-threatening burns.
The man was taken to hospital with serious injuries, while a primary-school-aged boy and a teenage boy have been taken to hospital in a stable condition.
It took four crews about half an hour to extinguish the fire.
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Police are appealing to anyone who may have information to come forward.
“We will be speaking to anyone who is able to provide information to police to ensure that we are covering off all aspects of our investigation,” Darling Downs District Detective Inspector Renee Garske says.
That is all from the press conference.
