Family counts cost of house inferno

A PLUME of smoke rose from Brigalow on the Warrego Hwy as a family home was destroyed by fire.

A PLUME of smoke rose from Brigalow on the Warrego Hwy west of Dalby as a family home was destroyed by fire.

Christine Bradshaw was working at That Shop for Her when a passing motorist called 000 to report smoke billowing from the windows of her home next door.

The first fire crews on the scene were from Brigalow, Jandowae and Dalby, headed by Queensland Fire and Emergency Service station officer John Burrows who was passing through.

While it was too late to save the home, shop owner Anthea Nicholas said fire crews were heroes for preventing the blaze from spreading.

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A passerby helps fight the fire. Picture: Alasdair Young

"We really had a miracle last night. We haven't even got a scorched wall," she said.

"They're saying there were 40-foot flames. You can see the power poles were burnt right to the top."

Fire investigators were at the scene on Wednesday, attempting to determine the cause of the fire.

"I don't know how... we didn't even have any lights on the tree," Mrs Bradshaw said at the scene.

While the house itself was insured, the contents were not and the family is in desperate need of a Christmas miracle.

Money for clothes, food and furniture can be donated to the family via the Brigalow State School or the Villiers St childcare centre in Chinchilla.

Mrs Nicholas described Mrs Bradshaw as a "beautiful soul" and urged the community to help them this Christmas.

"They're shattered; they've lost absolutely everything," she said.

QFES inspector Warren Buckley said the fire continued to pose a threat until 10pm and commended his units for their efficient containment of the blaze.

Originally published as Family counts cost of house inferno