Blaze rips through River St property in Mackay

A woman found with burns to her arms and face near a house engulfed by fire in the Mackay CBD is a person of interest to police, it can be revealed. LATEST, PICTURES

Emergency crews were called to a fire at a property on River St about 7.30pm August 6. Picture: Barry Walker

A woman found with burns to her arms and face near a house engulfed by fire is a person of interest to police, it can be revealed.

Mackay Criminal Investigation Branch officer in charge Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Eaton said the woman was “certainly there” at 67 River St in the Mackay CBD on Tuesday night.

Senior Sergeant Eton said the woman was taken to hospital with superficial burns and was a “person of interest in our investigations”.

“We are trying to establish if she was there prior to or during the fire,” he said, adding he would not disclose where the woman was found at the scene but she was spoken to because of her “proximity” to the incident and her injuries.

Senior Sergeant Eton said investigations were ongoing as to what started the fire and if there was more than ignition point.

Police had on Tuesday night erected a 100m exclusion zone as emergency services battled the inferno engulfing the property that once sold for more than $1m.

“That dwelling has been substantially damaged,” Senior Sergeant Eton said.

Emergency crews were called to a fire at a property on River St about 7.30pm August 6. Picture: Lydia Knowles

He said they believed the home was unoccupied at the time but had on instances been used by squatters.

“That gives rise to the possibility that it (the fire) has been deliberately lit but there’s also a number of other reasons that houses do catch fire like electrical faults and those sorts of things so it will take some time for our scientific police to work through that,” he said.

Senior Sergeant Eton said police had no reason to believe the owners of the property were involved in the fire but he imagined they were “absolutely devastated”.

Mackay Criminal Investigation Branch officer in charge Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Eaton speaking about the fire that tore through 67 River St in Mackay CBD on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Picture: Heidi Petith

He added it was fortunate the blaze was able to be contained and had not jumped to neighbouring properties.

A crime scene has been declared at the site while authorities carry out their investigations into the fire which Senior Sergeant Eton said was being treated as “suspicious”.

Police are calling for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage or information to come forward.

Information on RP Data revealed the property last sold on May 21, 2013 for $1,045,000.

A crime scene has been declared after a house on River St was gutted by flames. Picture: Zoe Devenport

Images of the inferno show large plumes of smoke billowing towards nearby shopping centre Caneland Central as neighbours reported hearing explosions from inside the house.

Lynda Knowles, who lives at a unit block nearby, said when she and her husband heard sirens, they went onto their walkway and were confronted by the huge fire.

“You could feel the heat … it was hot,” she said.

Multiple fire, police and ambulance crews as well as Ergon were called to the River St address about 7.18pm Tuesday.

A crime scene has been declared after a house on River St was gutted by flames. Picture: Zoe Devenport

Five fire crews were tasked and a Queensland Fire Department spokesman said they arrived about 7.25pm to a house “totally engulfed by fire”.

“It was under control about 7.40pm … and the fire was out about 7.55pm but we were still there dampening down hotspots about 8.20pm,” the QFD spokesman said.

Ms Knowles said the fire crews worked incredibly fast and “did a great job”.

Police evacuated the unit block next door to them but Ms Knowles said she was able to stay in the property.

“Emergency services acted very swiftly and did a great job,” Ms Knowles said.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said crews assessed one woman with smoke inhalation who was taken to Mackay Base Hospital about 7.10pm.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman said officers had put in place an exclusion zone and had spoken to neighbours about the dangers.

A firefighter at the scene said a bedroom at the back of the “lovely old home” was seemingly untouched by the blaze as a door was left closed.

“It should really drive home the importance of closing doors,” they said.