An eight-year-old girl has died in a horrific house fire early in Brisbane’s south-east with her babysitter also feared dead.
Massive flames engulfed the family home in Bayside Court, Thorneside within minutes on Sunday morning with the fire so fierce that it was seen from several kilometres away.
Firefighters were alerted at about 7.15am and arrived on scene within minutes but were unable to save Raven Contini, whose body was found inside the fire-ravaged home.
Her mother Chloe Louise Davidson and stepfather Matthew Glen Rodgers-Falk were in Ballina in northern NSW at the time and made the 190km drive home as soon as they heard the news, 9News reported.
As of Sunday night, the family’s babysitter Stephanie Ryan remained unaccounted for.
Authorities are of the ‘strong belief’ the woman’s body is inside the gutted home.
Raven’s distraught family broke their silence on Sunday night to pay a heartbreaking tribute to the little girl.
‘Loved cooking, loved shopping, love socialising, very special, very well loved eight-year-old girl,’ Christine Mary and Robert Arthur Rodgers-Falk said in a statement.
Eight-year-old Raven Contini (pictured) died in a horrific house fire early on Sunday morning
‘Nicknamed her Turtle.
‘She was very pretty.
‘Lifted us up when we saw her.’
Neighbours rushed to the scene, jumping over fences as they ran towards the burning home.
They used hoses and buckets of water to try to battle the blaze.
Neighbour Zac Benjamin ran to the back fence but couldn’t get into the house because of how hot the fire was.
‘I’ve got my own kids and I just kicked into gear,’ he said.
Paramedics also treated a man for smoke inhalation at the scene.
Raven is pictured with her mother Chloe Louise Davidson and stepfather Matthew Glen Rodgers-Falk
It took more than 20 firefighters almost an hour to bring the fire under control.
‘Efforts were made to enter the premises and extinguish the fire,’ Queensland Police Service Chief Inspector Karl Hahne said.
‘There was some support from neighbours, people surrounding to get it under control.
‘Anybody who assists anybody at a time of need, we tip our hat to them.’
The intensity of the fire means the home was still too hot for safe access with smoke still smouldering from the townhouse.
Neighbours rushed to the scene, jumping over the fence, running towards the burning home (pictured)
‘It’s still active and Queensland Fire Department is working to make it safe,’ Inspector Hahne said.
It could be days before the cause of the blaze can be determined.
The roof of the gutted townhouse collapsed in the blaze while two adjoining properties were also damaged.
