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Riverhills house fire leaves family in temporary accommodation

A single mother and her family face up to six months in temporary accommodation after their home, which they have lived in for more than 20 years, in Brisbane’s west went up in flames.

A family's home at Riverhills was significantly damaged by fire. Picture: Facebook
A family's home at Riverhills was significantly damaged by fire. Picture: Facebook

A single mother and her family face up to six months in temporary accommodation after their home in Brisbane’s west went up in flames at the weekend.

The blaze partly destroyed the Riverhills home following the Sunday afternoon fire, with three of the four bedrooms on the upper level gutted.

Everyone in the family, including a 60-year-old grandmother, were able to escape the fire safely but the family face some tough times ahead.

The eldest daughter, Selena, said the family was still shaken.

She said the property had been in the family for more than 20 years.

“Our family is definitely still quite shaken and just still letting everything sink in since it’s so surreal as our family home that my mother was raised in and that we as a family have created so many memories in has been terribly damaged,” she said.

“Everything happened so quickly, from the moment we identified the fire and evacuated, it was just in the blink of an eye.”

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said five crews attended the scene at Cottage Crescent at 1.50pm to find the top floor of a home well involved in flames.

A family's home at Riverhills was significantly damaged by fire. Picture: Facebook
A family's home at Riverhills was significantly damaged by fire. Picture: Facebook

The spokesman said crews had the fire under control within 10 minutes but there was “quite a bit of damage”.

It is believed the cause of the fire was electrical.

Selena, 16, said the fire started in her sister’s room but she was at a birthday party so avoided being caught in the blaze while her younger brother’s bus was late so he was not home at the time either.

They were able to escape with their family pets, including a dog and fish, and Selena thanks neighbours who came to their aid immediately.

“I can’t even express how abundantly compassionate and helpful our community has been from the moment I dashed out the door while dialling triple-0,” she said.

A family's home at Riverhills was significantly damaged by fire. Picture: 7 News Brisbane
A family's home at Riverhills was significantly damaged by fire. Picture: 7 News Brisbane

“When I turned to face my burning house I even saw my neighbour in the backyard risking himself trying to manage the blaze with a hose and even on our right, I saw another garden hose directed at the house.

“And even someone running in the yard to turn off the two gas bottles that were located on the same side of the blaze.

“I will never forget the two women that comforted me during my distress … they would know who they are, their hugs and reassuring words meant everything to me.

“Close friends and family arriving so quickly and even strangers we didn’t know assisting in each and every way they could, even until now is just so heartwarming.”

The local community has rallied behind the family, providing some financial support as well as donating items, such as clothes, school uniforms and more.

Selena also said their schools have supported the family through sorting out new uniforms and supplies for the children.

“Life is so precious and we shouldn’t put our faith in what we own, any materialistic things in homes can burn to ashes in a matter of seconds, we can’t rely on such things,” Selena said.

The Fire Investigation Unit had been notified and could attend the scene today.

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/riverhills-house-fire-leaves-family-in-temporary-accommodation/news-story/381ec8868971809e92d73bd6f1129e14