Toowoomba house fire: Mother of three dead children was on authorities’ radar
The mother of three young children who perished in a house fire had come to the attention of welfare authorities in all mainland jurisdictions except Queensland and the ACT.
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Three young children are dead and their mother is under police guard in hospital after a horror house fire in Toowoomba, that senior investigators say is suspicious and one of the most devastating incidents to ever rock the community.
And it can be revealed the family had come to the attention of welfare authorities in all mainland Australian jurisdictions except Queensland and the ACT.
Mother Ellouisa Brighton Gibson, 36, remained in a critical condition in hospital on Thursday after the fire at her family’s Harristown home.
Ms Gibson, her 34-year-old male partner and four children – two girls aged four and seven and two boys aged 11 and 18 – escaped the house after the fire about 12.30am on Wednesday.
Police continue to investigate the fire tragedy. No charges have been laid.
Neighbours desperately tried to save the children, helping pull them from the burning home, with one putting one of the young girls in a bathtub in another home after seeing her clothes on fire.
A nine-year-old boy died inside the house, and two girls who escaped have since died at the Queensland Children’s Hospital from their horrific injuries.
Family members, including the boys who escaped, were at their bedside of the young girls as their life support was switched off.
The horror fire has rocked the tight knit community of Toowoomba and emergency service personnel who have described the scenes of the fire as one of the worst in their careers.
Detective Superintendent George Marchesini said the woman, who he said was the mother to all of the children, remained under police guard. While she remained critical he said police had been provided information that she was expected to survive.
The man was released from hospital on Wednesday.
Supt Marchesini confirmed police had some interaction with the family previously but would not go into further detail.
“It certainly wasn’t a premises that police were regularly attending,” he said.
“Obviously we want to talk to all those persons that were present, we’ve already undertaken that with some of the people that were at the house and have obviously have been released from hospital.
“Part of our investigation is obviously talking to all people, that will include the 36-year-old woman.”
Supt Marchesini confirmed police had spoken to the man.
He said the 11-year-old and 18-year-old went to the children’s hospital on Wednesday.
“They did attend the hospital last night while life support was turned off for the two young girls,” Supt Marchesini said.
Supt Marchesini declined to comment on a report the mother had approached police concerning her mental health in the lead up to the fire.
He said the man and the 18-year-old helped get the children out of the house and emergency service personnel were confronted with a horrific scene when they arrived.
“It was a scene that no one should have to see,” Supt Marchesini said.
“And while we are first responders and are trained to deal with these sorts of incidents, I want to assure you that we are not immune to feeling the impact that it has had.”
Premier David Crisafulli said a full investigation would take place following the tragedy.
“It’s devastating. Toowoomba is a really tight-knit city, and that community will really be hurting this morning,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“We will do absolutely everything we can to wrap our arms around the community.”
A neighbour said she had lived next to the family for several years but did not know them well.
“I could see from my bedroom window that the flames were as high as the fence,” she said.
“By the time I got out and across the road, the fire truck had arrived.
“We would cross each other’s paths when we took the bins out,” she said of their interactions
“I didn’t know the children, but they used to call me nanna, they’d call out ‘hi nanna’,” she said.
Originally published as Toowoomba house fire: Mother of three dead children was on authorities’ radar
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