William (Bill) Blake, 55, dies in Boyne Island house fire

Days after a heartbroken neighbour described a devoted dad who died in a Central Qld house fire as the ‘glue’ of their tightknit community, a fundraiser has been set up to help his two daughters who have lost everything.

William (Bill) Blake and his daughters.

A fundraiser has been set up to help two young sisters who lost their father and all of their possessions in a Central Queensland house fire.

William (Bill) Blake, 55, tragically died after fire ripped through the family home on Crest Ave, Boyne Island, on August 2.

A GoFundMe page has been established with a goal of raising $30,000 to help set up Bill’s daughters Megan and Charli for a future without their father.

“These girls have lost not only their father, but their family home and all their belongings,” the GoFundMe page states.

“This is all about a new start and a donation as small as $5.00 will go along way in setting them up.

“Their close family is banding together but we need help from our friends far and wide, young and old, who remember Bill from school, AFL Sport, work.

House fire on Crest Ave, Boyne Island. Picture: Darryn Nufer

“Help us make his young daughters lives a little better in rebuilding a life without their father.

“We are hoping to ease the pain that they and the immediate family are going through at this time.”

The organiser, Emma Lane from The Tablelands, says she is a close friend of the family.

On Sunday morning (August 11), $19,712 from 370 donations had been raised since the fundraiser was set up.

Earlier this week a neighbour described Bill as a “pillar of the community”.

Tributes have also come from his workplace, with Yarwun Operations general manager Mark Gilmore saying they were devastated by the news that one of their much loved and valued team members, Bill, had tragically passed away.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Bill’s family and friends, and we are providing them all the support we can during this very difficult time,” he said.

Tributes in the form of flowers, cards and candles have been left at the letterbox of the burnt out two-storey brick home on Crest Ave.

A box of pink and purple flowers simply reads: “We love you dad”.

Sitting atop the letterbox, one of the candles reads: “Billy, Ben here. Love you mate”.

A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, told this publication on Monday, August 5, that Bill was raising two daughters at the house.

House fire on Crest Ave, Boyne Island. Picture: Darryn Nufer

She said Bill was a “pillar of the community” who “brought everybody together”.

“He was a lovely man,” she said.

“He was amazing.

“He was a very switched-on down-to-earth lovely man.

“He’d do anything, put his hand to anything.

“This street has a lovely little community. He was the glue.”

She said Bill was a “family man” and that his daughters were both devastated.

“(He was) very dedicated to his girls,” she said.

“They were just really happy, laughing and lovely.

“We’re all just in shock.”

The neighbour said she saw smoke through one of her windows and that when she went out other neighbours were already at the house.

“It was just in one room but catching really quickly,” she said.

“It started to explode windows.

“It took ablaze really quickly.”

House fire on Crest Ave, Boyne Island. Picture: Darryn Nufer

She said neighbours went around the home and yelled out.

“They went around and looked all inside the back,” she said.

“Nobody could see anybody in there.

“They were all yelling out.

“Nobody thought anybody was home.

“It was devastating.

“I wish I had gone inside, I wish I had gone in the backyard myself, I wish I had looked through the windows.”

She said neighbours got a ladder and rescued a puppy off the balcony.

Neighbours also grabbed hoses to stop the fire from spreading to neighbouring properties, she said.

She said it had been windy that morning and they were concerned their house would have gone up in flames, too.

House fire on Crest Ave, Boyne Island. Picture: Darryn Nufer

“We only just managed to stop it from coming across.

“There’s no way we could have contained it, not with the water pressure we’ve got.”

Firefighters had to spend at least two hours from when they arrived at 9am dampening down hotspots before the home was completely extinguished.

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said on Monday, August 5, the house fire was not being treated as suspicious, however investigations were continuing.