Two infants among four killed in Emerald house fire explosion
A fourth person killed in a house fire alongside a man and two infants has been identified as police confirm they are not treating the blaze as supsicious.
*Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains images of people who are deceased.
Police are not treating the fire that killed four people as suspicious and are investigating if an e-scooter battery played any part in the cause of the blaze.
It comes as a fourth person in the fire has been identified as teenager Cameron Chilly.
Students at Emerald High School are mourning after the loss of their classmate.
Hannah Canham said she was close friends with Cameron.
“Cameron was the sweetest girl you’d know she’d always have a smile on her face,” she said.
“She was always energetic at school.
“It’s good to see so many people cared about this family.
“The school have been making sure everyone is ok.
“It’s pretty tough news.”
Cameron died alongside Maddison Symons, 20 months, brother Desmond, five months, and family friend Mathew Chilly, 36, in the Central Queensland tragedy on Thursday.
Two people escaped the home after the fire began just before 7am while neighbours battled helplessly to douse the blaze with hoses before emergency services arrived.
A 25-year-old woman and a 38-year-old woman, both from Emerald, escaped the fire and were taken to hospital for treatment.
On Friday morning community members attended the scene to grieve the four that had passed away.
Bethany Ward and Tearnie Gil said the community was in mourning.
“We just live down the road and it’s so devastating. It’s so close to everyone and it’s pretty sad,” Ms Gil said.
“She heard all the sirens and when we went to drive through it was all closed off and we found out it happened.”
“It’s pure shock, we all think this is never going to happen and for it to happen is crazy because it takes a second and it’s over.”
Hayden Reynolds who was friends with Matthew said he was a good bloke who was very family orientated.
“I’ve got no words for that. It’s pretty hard. We are pretty shocked. There isn’t many people we don’t know. It has devastated everyone,” he said.
“Emerald sticks together pretty well. If something happens to the community we pitch in and help out.”
Detective Acting Inspector Brett Richard said authorities were not treating the fire as suspicious.
Acting Insp Richard said he wanted to appeal to the public for information that was near Opal Street between 6am and 7am.
“We’re just looking into the cause of the fire. And as any investigation you can appreciate, we do want to provide as many details to the families we can,” he said.
“We have got reports of smoke coming from the unit. However, we do want to piece together a timeline to actually understand when the fire actually occurred.
“We’re still investigating (what caused the fire). So our forensic and scientific teams there currently now examining the scenes, and it’s just too early to tell what the cause was.”
Dect Act Insp Richard confirmed the two women who were in hospital had been discharged. It is believed the mother of the infants was one of those women.
However he was unable to say how everyone in the house was connected.
“One is resident of the address, and the other occupants were staying with them temporarily,” he said.
He said anything that had caused the fire had been damaged.
“So obviously it doesn’t leave much cause or evidence for us. So hence why we are relying on the public,” he said.
“Any device with a battery, as we know, I think that they can cause fires. So it’s a line of inquiry for any fire, I believe, or house fire/structural fire.”
He said any fire in a house had certain objects like batteries, canisters that could also cause those explosions.
“Our main concern is provide answers for the family. It’s a tragedy, and we want to provide them with as many answers as we can,” he said.
When asked if the smoke alarms were working in the property he said, “we’re still under investigation. So those items, obviously we’ll be trying to obtain answers for and at this stage, we don’t know.”
Police declared a crime scene at the home on Thursday.
The unit had black scorch marks on the roof area but the building was still intact.
Flowers lined the fence of the property and soft toys were placed on the grass by locals.
Bethany Ward and Tearnie Gil said the community was in mourning.
“We just live down the road and it’s so devastating. It’s so close to everyone and it’s pretty sad,” Ms Gil said.
“She heard all the sirens and when we went to drive through it was all closed off and we found out it happened.”
“It’s pure shock, we all think this is never going to happen and for it to happen is crazy because it takes a second and it’s over.”
Hayden Reynolds who was friends with Matthew said he was a good bloke who was very family orientated.
“I’ve got no words for that. It’s pretty hard. We are pretty shocked. There isn’t many people we don’t know. It has devastated everyone,” he said.
“Emerald sticks together pretty well. If something happens to the community we pitch in and help out.”
Premier David Crisafulli said the tragedy was harrowing.
“I just want to start by saying how incredibly sad it is to see the loss of four lives in that tragic house fire and how much that will rock the local community,” he said.
Mr Crisafulli said Gregory MP Sean Dillon had rushed back to Emerald from Brisbane.
A neighbour in the street, who asked to be known only as Bede, said he heard a loud bang and people yelling when the fire broke out.
“I was awake, I heard a big boom, an explosion and someone yelling out, ‘get out of there, get out of there’,” he said. “It sounded like ... a battery explosion.”
Sally Woulfe said she was heartbroken by the tragedy.
“In the early hours of 6 November 2025, my nephew Jake lost his entire world – his two beautiful children, Maddison (1 year, 8 months) and Desmond (5 months) – in a tragic house fire in Emerald,” she wrote on GoFundMe.
“In one night, Jake lost everything – his babies, his home and every belonging he owned. As a young father, he is now facing the unimaginable pain of having to lay both of his children to rest.
“Our family is shattered. Maddison was full of life and laughter, always smiling and curious about the world around her. Little Desmond was a gentle, happy baby whose laughter brought light to everyone who met him. Their bond was pure love – and they were taken far too soon.
“We are reaching out to the community for help to raise $15,000 to cover funeral expenses and to help Jake begin to rebuild his life.
“Every donation, no matter how small, will help.
“If you can’t contribute financially, please share this fundraiser and keep Jake and our family in your prayers.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your love, your compassion and your support during this heartbreaking time.”
Emerald resident Jack Bateman said he had known Mr Chilly for many years, referring to him as his uncle.
“There is going to be hurt all over for him,” Mr Bateman said, describing Mr Chilly as a handyman who had worked around Queensland, including in Brisbane.
“He was a good friend of mine, my uncle, just a good person. I don’t know what has happened here, it’s an extreme tragedy.
“I am sending all my love to the family. I just want to hug them all and make them all feel better. I’m hurting but I am more hurting for the family.”
Queensland Fire Department Emerald Inspector Scott Castree said it took 25 to 30 minutes to control the fire. He said there were 25 firefighters and two senior officers on scene.
“The initial reaction was to have a breathing apparatus team make entry through the side of the house, with their primary focus being on carrying out a primary search and rescue,” he said. “Unfortunately, with the intensity of the fire, the breathing apparatus team was pushed back and a second breathing apparatus team was deployed to assist with that extinguishment.
“I heard that neighbours put in an incredible effort using what they had available, including garden hoses.
“The intensity of that fire was something that they would not be able to stop or make an effective attack on.
“We really do appreciate their support. They took a risk today too, to try and help the situation before our fire rescue teams were on scene.”
Inspector Castree said he had not seen anything similar in Emerald.
“It certainly is a tragedy,” he said. “And sometimes these type of incidents are something that many firefighters don’t see in their careers, certainly don’t want to see in their careers.”
Central Highlands Mayor Janice Moriarty said the council was “deeply saddened”.
“We offer our full support and co-operation to responding agencies,” she said.
The fire comes less than a month after a Gladstone blaze that killed Jordana Johnson, 36, Jordan Norris, 13, and Chazz Mather, 12, on October 15.
Contessa Richardson, 37, was charged with three counts of murder and two counts of arson.
