Nine fire crews race to Gabba house fire

Two abandoned houses have been destroyed by fire in separate incidents in Brisbane on the same day.

Two abandoned house have been destroyed by fire in one day in Brisbane.

In the first incident, a timber worker’s cottage in Reid St at Woolloongabba in the city’s inner east was engulfed in flames about 10am on Wednesday, with nine fire trucks rushing to the scene.

The blaze ripped through the roof of the house and could be seen from vantage points across the city.

Neighbour Phil Ariel, who has lived on the street for more than 15 years, said he and his wife were having their morning coffee when his wife noticed smoke.

Fire crews at a home on Reid St, Woolloongabba, after it caught alight this morning, August 23. Picture: Brendan O'Malley

Mr Ariel said she immediately called triple-0 and firefighters were on scene within minutes.

“They had their hoses going very quickly, it was out in 10 minutes.”

Mr Ariel said he and other neighbours had complained about squatters, disturbances, rubbish and long grass for years but nothing had been done.

“There was a power cable going in there at one stage,” he said.

A man who lived in the area said he knew homeless people who would squat in four vacant houses on the street.

Only one house was destroyed, the others were saved.

Aerial photos of the fire in a home adjacent to the South East Freeway at Woolloongabba. Picture: 7 News

Firefighters battle the blaze in the home on Reid St. Picture: 7 News

The home is next to the South East Freeway at Woolloongabba.

Smoke from the fire could be seen from kilometres away. Picture: Supplied

In a second incident on Wednesday evening, an abandoned house was destroyed in a suspected arson attack at Bridgeman Downs in the city’s north.

The Beckett Rd structure erupted in flames about 5.30pm.

No injuries had been reported and police were investigating.

Traffic on Beckett Rd has been reduced to one lane and motorists were urged to avoid the area.