Mum’s terror to wake sleeping children as elderly couple’s duplex burns

A neighbour of a duplex engulfed by flames overnight has recalled her horror as she shook her children awake to flee their home as a “raging” fire destroyed the home of a devastated elderly couple.

The neighbour of a duplex engulfed by flames overnight has recalled her horror as she shook her children awake to flee their home as “small explosions” and a “raging” fire shocked sleepy residents nearby.

The blaze happened on Esperance Court, Murrumba Downs just after midnight, Wednesday, September 7, devastating an elderly couple who lost their home, car and belongings.

Neighbours reported screams and small explosions as the fire took over.

Four fire crews arrived at 12.15am to the garage well engulfed in flames.

The crews worked to suppress the fire in the rear unit.

The fire was under control by 12.45am and the fire investigator has since finished examining the scene.

Paramedics arrived at the house at 12.15am and took an elderly man to Redcliffe Hospital as a precaution for medical concerns.

Pyjama-clad neighbours said they heard screams and small explosions as a Murrumba Downs house was engulfed in fire after midnight on September 7. Picture: Contributed

Vanessa Tate, who lives with her family in units directly behind the house, said she was woken by neighbours bashing on her door and had to shake her children to wake them.

“My neighbours heard screams for help,” Ms Tate said.

“The kids were upstairs sleeping.

“I couldn’t bang on the door loud enough.

“Had to physically shake them to get them out of bed, they are teenagers.

“And had to physically carry my youngest, eight, out of the house ‘cause he was fast asleep.

“(I was saying) ‘the house next door is on fire, we have to leave’ — they didn’t understand what I was saying until they saw the flames in the window.”

Marie (left) and Mark (middle) with their daughter Olivia Webbe (right), who has set up a GoFund Me page to help her parents get back on their feet. Picture: Contributed

Ms Tate said there were small explosions that made people ‘jump’.

“The fire was raging when we got out the front door,” Ms Tate said.

“It was very intense, his garage is right at our fence.

“We heard the fire fighters using a grinder to cut into something.

“Someone said they would be cutting on the other side of a gas bottle.

“The man who lives there often does his own machine work, we always hear the tools going.

“There would have been maybe more than a dozen people at the end of our alley that were evacuated.”

Fire crews worked for just under an hour to contain the blaze, with neighbours evacuated out onto the street. Picture: Contributed

Meanwhile, Olivia Webbe, the daughter of the elderly couple who lost their belongings in the blaze, has set up a GoFundMe page, so her parents can buy clothes and find a new home and a car.

“Mark and Marie (mum and dad) lost everything in the house fire that engulfed their home,” Ms Webbe wrote.

“As pensioners in this difficult economic climate they have a very small savings and limited funds to help them settle while they wait for insurance to be sorted.

“Imagine being at the end stage of your life and having to start over again completely from scratch.”

Queensland Police confirmed they would investigate the fire.