Prosecutors weigh up charges over Izzy Nash’s death in Slacks Creek warehouse fire

An investigation into the death of a beloved Queensland firefighter has been completed and is in the hands of prosecutors who will determine whether any charges should be laid.

Izzy Nash was killed in a massive warehouse fire at Slacks Creek in 2023.

An investigation into the death of a beloved Queensland firefighter has been completed and is in the hands of prosecutors, who will determine whether any charges should be laid.

Izzy Nash, 46, died in a Slacks Creek warehouse in May 2023 after becoming trapped and running out of air while trying to extinguish a massive fire.

The Courier-Mail understands communications on the day of the fire could have been garbled or not received at all, in wake of previous issues with government wireless network handheld radios within the service.

Almost two years on from Ms Nash’s death, Workplace Health and Safety has finally completed its investigation and progressed the matter.

“The brief of evidence has been referred to the Office of the Workplace Health and Safety Prosecutor for review and determining whether court proceedings should be commenced,” a spokesman said.

But a decision on whether charges will be laid could take even more time, with the OWHSP allowed two years to make a determination from when it first comes to the notice

Ms Nash – an experienced firefighter – initially went inside the warehouse with her colleague, Lia Drew, when they became trapped in the blaze and ran out of air.

Firefighters are at the scene of a large factory fire in Slacks Creek, south of Brisbane where Izzy Nash was killed.

Both were pulled from the building by colleagues, but Ms Nash died in hospital later that night.

Sources told The Courier-Mail that communication failures formed a huge part of the investigation, including whether digital packages had become corrupted by background noise.

More than 50 people were extensively interviewed as part of the investigation which wrapped up in the last two months.

Queensland Fire Department also conducted its own review and last year established an Operational Advisory Group to look at equipment and processes.

Ms Nash was a highly respected firefighter who joined the service in 2014, serving as a First Class Firefighter.

She had a passion for teaching junior firefighters about the complexities of their equipment and what to do in an incident.

Her former partner, Bec Weinert, described Ms Nash as the matriarch of her family, a pillar of strength and a confidant.

Ms Drew – a former senior firefighter – has since recovered from serious injuries, but it’s understood she is no longer working on the frontline.

Izzy Nash was tragically killed.

Originally published as Prosecutors weigh up charges over Izzy Nash’s death in Slacks Creek warehouse fire