Bundaberg South fire: Man charged with arson and wilful damage

A Bundaberg man has been charged with starting the fire that gutted a unit complex on Monday and forced the evacuation of 20 people. WATCH THE VIDEO.

Twenty people had to be evacuated in Bundaberg South on Monday morning when fire broke out in a block of units.

A Bundaberg Central man has been charged with starting the fire that gutted a unit complex on Monday.

Douglas Jacob Pashley, 51, appeared in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday charged with wilful damage and arson. The matter was adjourned to May 9.

About 20 residents were evacuated from a block of units on Water Street in Bundaberg South after the fire broke out just before 8.30am on Monday, March 24.

Emergency services assessed the evacuees, while families, including parents with young children in strollers, watched as their homes were destroyed.
One home was significantly damaged by fire and four other connected homes sustained smoke damage.

A police statement on Monday afternoon confirmed a crime scene had been declared.
Police arrested Mr Pashley nearby and he was charged with one count each of wilful damage and arson.
Some relatives rushed barefoot down the street to support their loved ones on Monday morning as smoke filled the air.

Queensland Fire Department crews arrived at 8:30am to find the first two levels of the complex engulfed in flames and thick smoke.

Twenty people had to be evacuated in Bundaberg South on Monday morning when fire broke out in a block of unites.

Four fire crews attended the scene, with initial reports indicating “multiple houses” were on fire.

Queensland Ambulance Service treated three patients, all in a stable condition.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames on the first level by 8:45am, while the second level remained under control.

Thick smoke continued to billow from a second-floor window about 9am while bricks around the first-floor windows were charred black.

The fire was put out on the first floor at around 8.45am Monday, March 24, 2025.

The fire broke out on the first floor, with flames and smoke spreading to the second floor.

Several people sat on the roadside as paramedics assessed them.

Station officer and incident controller Trent Saylor said one person was initially reported missing but was later accounted for.

“There is extensive flame and smoke damage,” he said, adding that the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

Anyone with information or footage is asked to contact police.

Emergency Services respond to reports of “multiple houses on fire” on Water St, Bundaberg South.

The full extent of the damage to the units is yet to be confirmed, but all smoke detectors in the complex were functioning at the time of the fire.

Originally published as Bundaberg South fire: Man charged with arson and wilful damage