Airlie Beach townhouse charred after survey van burst into flames
A mother and her sleeping child heard ‘a couple of bangs’ after a road survey van caught fire, which then spread to the balcony of the townhouse unit next door where a man and woman had to be rescued by fire crews.
Whitsunday
Don't miss out on the headlines from Whitsunday. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Bangs and sparks alerted a mother to danger after a road survey truck caught fire that then spread to the balcony of the unit next door.
The truck caught fire about 3pm Wednesday, November 15 while parked outside a townhouse on Altmann Ave at Cannonvale.
Sheenal Nand had been working from home while her three-year-old daughter Amaahi slept when she heard “a couple of bangs” at her door.
“All of a sudden I smelled the smoke,” she said.
“I could just see through our glass window that there was just smoke and flames everywhere.
“I got a bit closer to the glass and I could see the car next door was in flames and it had caught onto my car.
“And I’ve just picked up my daughter and gone downstairs into the back courtyard … and then the fireys came and got us.”
Ms Nand said Amaahi was more calm than she was, not crying at all, and being “very brave”.
Whitsunday Fire Station Officer Rees May said a man and a woman inside the unit on fire were “heavily affected by smoke” and had to be extracted by firefighters.
“The crews had to work really hard to get this fire under control,” Officer May said.
Sergeant Gary Giles said fire crews were investigating the cause of the fire, but added it did not appear suspicious.
Nine fire rescue personnel were on scene to battle the blaze, arriving at 3.20pm.
Four dead in four years: Inside notorious Qld jail
Following the latest death in custody at a Queensland jail, we look back at others who have died there in just a few years and the 20-year history of the grey cellblocks known for housing some of the state’s most high-profile prisoners.
Tanzania to Townsville: Cowboys enforcer’s unique journey to the NRL
Tanzanian-born refugee Emarly Bitungane is hoping a strong trial match performance can catapult him into the selection picture for an NRL debut. Read more about his unlikely rugby league journey.