Sunshine Coast blaze: Heartbreak for owners who lost cat, home in Nambour blaze

The owners of a house that was destroyed during a ferocious daytime blaze on a quiet Sunshine Coast street are reeling over the loss of their beloved cat and home.

Owners of a Nambour home that went up in flames in a daytime blaze on Monday have thanked neighbours and emergency services.

Emergency services were called to the fire in a home on Campese Tce, in Nambour at about 1.10pm on Monday, September 11.

Despite the efforts of firefighters, the dwelling was destroyed, but crews were able to save surrounding properties and bushland.

While homeowners James Hembury and Angel Freeman were able to escape the inferno with their two dogs, tragically their beloved cat did not.

“We managed to save our dogs but lost a very loved cat named Catan, she was a member of our family and will leave a huge hole in our hearts,” Mr Hembury said.

James Hembury and his fiance Angel Freeman are reeling over the loss of their cat and Nambour home. Picture: Facebook

Property records show the renovated family home sold in July, 2021.

Mr Hembury and his fiance, who are the owners of popular rock climbing gym Flow Bouldering, were grateful for the assistance of emergency services and their neighbours.

“We are so grateful to our neighbours and the Nambour police and fire department, they helped us in our hardest time and we are immensely relieved that the fire was contained and didn‘t impact anyone else,” Mr Hembury said.

“My fiance and I are safe and being well cared for by family and friends, we have a wonderful community around us and we are very lucky and grateful to have them.

“We are still awaiting reports from police and fire, we don’t really have anything else to say and we would be grateful for space to heal.”

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokeswoman said the fire investigation had completed and the cause of the non-suspicious blaze was undetermined.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokesman said the two-storey weatherboard home was “well-involved on arrival” with a partial collapse.

Four fire crews, some in breathing apparatus, fought the blaze and took measures to protect other neighbouring homes.

It was contained and firefighters were “dampening down” the fire by about 2.10pm on Monday, the spokesman said.

A fire has affected up to three homes on Campese Tce, in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast.

Neighbours heard “a few bangs” as the fire raged.

Nambour Fire Station officer Sean McMahon said the fire was coming out of the front of the house when crews arrived.

He said crews also had to work to protect a neighbouring home.

“We were unable to make any internal access to the fire, so we had to fight the fire from the outside of the house,” Mr McMahon said.

He said they used hose lines to keep gas cylinders which were on the right hand side of the property cool until they ran out of gas.

“(The homeowners are) pretty upset. You know, they just lost their house.”

“Not a lot of good comes out of it.”

Nambour Police Station sergeant Tony Kowaltzke said the fire had been deemed non-suspicious, however an investigation was ongoing.

He said the two homeowners and their pet dogs were outside of the home when emergency services arrived.

“The dwelling as a result of the fire has been completely destroyed,” he said.

“An issue with the older style timber dwellings is that they do go up very quickly.”

One neighbour said they could smell gas and “heard a couple of bangs” when the fire started.

Another witness Caleb Bain said it was “heartbreaking” for the owners.

“The dogs look pretty distressed,” he said.

Emergency services rushed to the scene of a house fire in Nambour on Monday afternoon that destroyed one home and affected two others. Picture: Jacky Chipman

“The owners are pretty distressed.

“Just a hard scene to watch really.”

Another neighbour Rhyce Cook took the pets into his home.

“All a bit of chaos, I gave the pets refuge, I just wanted to help out,” Mr Cook said.

“Pretty sad to see, it’s never easy right.”

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said paramedics were also called to the scene about 1.10pm.

Sergeant Kowaltzke said it served as a reminder to residents to make sure their fire alarms are well maintained.

Fire investigators are looking into the cause of the blaze.