Russell Island house fire: What we know about blaze that killed family

The horror house fire that killed a father and five young boys has sent shockwaves through the close-knit Moreton Bay island community. This is everything we know so far.

The horror house fire that killed a father and five young boys has sent shockwaves through the close-knit Moreton Bay island community.

Amid the mourning, attention turns to what happened in the lead-up and why.

This is everything we know so far about the Russell Island blaze in August 2023.

WHO WERE THE VICTIMS OF THE RUSSELL ISLAND HOUSE FIRE?

Wayne Godinet and his five sons, aged between 11 and 3, all perished after a fire broke out in the Russell Island home early on Sunday.

The children’s mother, Samantha Stephenson, 28, is understood to have told police her 34-year-old partner Wayne Godinet raced upstairs to rescue their boys.

Mr Godinet became trapped upstairs with the children before the second storey collapsed.

Wayne Godinet and his five sons perished in the blaze.

Some time later, police learnt a second woman also escaped the blaze from the same house – a 21-year-old woman, believed to be Ms Stephenson’s sister.

Neighbours said Mr Godinet slept in the downstairs section of the old Queenslander home, while Ms Stephenson and the boys Zack, 11, Harry, 10, four-year-old twins Kyza and Koah and three-year-old Nicky slept upstairs.

Family friend and Russell Island local Peter MacLoughlin said he has spoken with Ms Stephenson, who is staying with a friend on the island, after she was released from hospital.

“Despite her saying they did have problems she said the family were so close and absolutely loved each other,” he said tearfully.

“She is distraught it is so devastating. I had just bought the boy a bike.”

Rebecca Stephenson, the boys’ maternal grandmother, described the tragic events as “every mother’s worst nightmare and more”.

“She is the most doting mother she is devastated we all are,” Ms Stephenson said of her daughter Samantha Stephenson, who escaped the blaze unharmed.

“I just can’t imagine a worse feeling than that. If you could have seen her with her boys and Wayne, the love of her life, they just were everything to her.”

Connie Campbell, who along with her older sister Samantha Stephenson ­escaped the Russell Island ­inferno on August 8 told how she jumped from the balcony when flames began burning her feet.

“I knew for sure everything is gone – but Sam is still outside screaming, ‘My babies, my babies’ … she’s still saying, ‘They have to be here, they have to be around … they have to have gotten out the back way,’ ” she said.

WHEN DID THE HOUSE FIRE START?

Emergency services raced to the scene of the ferocious blaze on Todman St shortly after 6am on Sunday, August 7, following multiple triple-0 calls that a fire at one house had spread to a second and was threatening a third property.

Firefighters arrived on scene to find a distraught Ms Stephenson out the front.

“There’s been quite a significant structural collapse,” he said.

“It could take quite some time, even days, to determine the point of origin of the fire and the cause.

“When you get a structural collapse like that, fire investigators have to piece together what’s left, where it came from in the building, where it was standing, what the floor plan looked like and where people were located when the fire occurred.”

Samantha Stephenson with one of her sons as a newborn

At 5pm, police confirmed they had located all six bodies inside the house.

A statement confirmed post mortems and scientific examinations would take place to confirm their identities.

“A 28-year-old woman and a 21-year-old woman were able to escape the property and were transported to hospital where they are in a stable condition,” the statement said.

“Investigations are continuing to determine the cause of the fire.”

On August 14 police revealed they had so far been unable to determine how the fire started.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW IN THE INVESTIGATION?

Queensland Police Service Superintendent Mat Kelly police were still investigating the circumstances of the fire.

QFES Commissioner Greg Leach said firefighters received multiple calls for help at 6.18am reporting two houses were on fire.

“Subsequent emergency calls indicated that there were several people unaccounted for at one of those houses,” he said.

“Two appliances from the Russell Island Fire Brigade arrived on the scene at 6.35am and they found smoke and flames clearly visible from two houses.

“Within two minutes of that crew being on scene, they reported that a third house was also fully alight.”

Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham on Monday morning said an investigation centre had been set up in Cleveland with 25 officers. A crime scene has been declared.

“The establishment of the investigation centre is because there are some elements of this incident yesterday that do require closer scrutiny,” he said.

“No determination has been made at this stage as to whether this fire is suspicious or not.

“Its important that I tell you that we are keeping an open mind with respect to this matter.”

Det Supt Massingham said police had been called to the home before and all aspects of the couple’s involvement with police were being reviewed.

He said the two women who escaped the fire had provided an “initial version” to police.

“You can appreciate both were extremely traumatised as a result of what happened,” he said.

“Their medical needs superseded our needs at that time.”

Det Supt Massingham on August 8 revealed police were planning to conduct formal interviews with the two women who escaped the fire – the children’s mother and her sister – while acknowledging investigators were keeping an “open mind”.

Firefighters inspect the gutted house on Russell Island. Picture: Steve Pohlner

WHAT HAS BEEN THE COMMUNITY REACTION?

Supt Kelly described Russell Island as a small, “ingrained” community who “all support each other”.

He said more crews responded with additional firefighting equipment from the mainland.

“We received information on scene that six people were unaccounted for in the property initially and that one of those houses, I can confirm, is totally destroyed.”

He said fire at the property was extinguished at 8.15am, and firefighters began a search of the collapsed building.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll early in the day said her heartfelt condolences went out to the family and friends of those unaccounted for, as well as the Russell Island community.

“An operational briefing has taken place and we know that a father and five boys are unaccounted for,” she said.

“This is devastating news and our heartfelt thoughts go out to everyone.”

Fire and Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan said the fire was a great tragedy.

“Of course a very sad day for Queenslanders,” he said.

“Brave members of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, the Queensland Ambulance Service (and) Queensland Police Service were obviously on site very quickly, but now there’s further work to be done around the site – finding victims, supporting the community.

“Our hearts break for those involved in the tragedy.

“It seems a tragic loss of life from early reports.”

Tributes outside Russell Island State School for the children lost in the fire. Picture: Isabella Holland

Queensland Ambulance Service assistant commissioner David Hartley said nine people had been treated by paramedics on scene.

A GoFundMe appeal set up by a friend hoped to raise funds to help Ms Stephenson after the loss of her family and all her possessions.

“On this tragic morning, Samantha lost her five beautiful boys and their father to a house fire,” friend Lilly Salter wrote.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also offered her condolences.

“My thoughts are with the whole Russell Island community at this very sad and tragic time,” she wrote.

A letter to the parents of Russell Island State School students said counselling was available. “As a community, we will rally together and support each other through this challenging period,” the letter stated.

The family was well-known to residents, including taxi driver Angela Dowson.

She described the moment Mr Godinet ran back inside the burning house to save his sons, telling their 28-year-old mother, Samantha Stephenson, who had managed to escape, to stay well away from the flames.

“I know he was a hero and he would have done everything in his power to get those kids out, so obviously it was impossible. I would call him superdad’,” Ms Dowson said.

People at the scene of the fire on Sunday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Another neighbour, whose home escaped any serious damage, said he could hear the cries for help coming from Ms Stephenson and the young children.

“I could just hear them screaming “Help, help, help me’,” he said.

“I couldn’t get my hose to work, so I was fanning the flames away with a pizza box – it’s all I could find.”

One elderly woman even made the journey by foot from the other side of Russell Island to thank first responders for their efforts.

The fire started on one property on Todman St and spread to two others. Picture: 9 News Queensland/Today Show

Acting Superintendent Peter Miles, of Gold Coast police, said he could not fathom what Samantha Stephenson, the young mum who survived the Russell Island fire which claimed the lives of her partner and five sons, must be feeling.

The August 2011 Logan fire was Queensland’s deadliest house fire.

An inquest could not establish the cause of the blaze but a coroner found there was a “reasonable prospect” that all or some of the victims could have escaped if smoke alarms had been working.

The tragedy led to new laws for photoelectric smoke alarms in bedrooms and hallways of Queensland homes.

FIRE APPEAL

Account name: GIVIT Listed Ltd

BSB: 034 064

Account number: 293 485

Reference: Russell Island House Fires Support Fund