Children trapped in Biloela house fire after QLD mother left them alone

A Queensland mother who left her two young children home alone “for 10 to 15 minutes” was “paralysed” when she got back to see the house engulfed in flames with the kids locked inside.

The house destroyed by fire at Biloela in August, 2022.

It was 5.50 on a Tuesday morning and a Biloela mother decided she would leave her two young children asleep at home for “10 to 15 minutes” while she drove her partner to work.

Before she made it back, her home was engulfed in flames, smoke was billowing from it, and her eldest son, 5, was standing at the locked front screen door screaming to be let out.

At 6.09am, the alarm was raised with emergency services.

The 27-year-old mum arrived back in time to save the child at the front door while members of the public raced to the rear of the house where they were able to get inside to save the other child, aged 2.

The house was destroyed by the fire and sadly, the family’s pet dog did not survive the blaze.

The house destroyed by fire at Biloela in August, 2022.

At the scene on August 2 last year, police spoke to the mum and she gave a version of events that was consistent with what she later told police during an interview on August 22.

“She stated that she’d left both children unattended for 10 to 15 minutes while she dropped her partner to work,” Police Prosecutor Kelvin Boyd told Biloela Magistrates Court on December 14, where the mum pleaded guilty to two counts of leaving a child under the age of 12 for an unreasonable time without making reasonable provision for supervision and care.

“(The mum) stated that she had made a mistake leaving the children alone.”

Solicitor Richard Parks represented the mother in court. She cannot be named for legal reasons.

“The fire appears to be accidental but they don’t know what the actual cause of it was,” Mr Parks said.

“It’s a rental premises – (it was) totally destroyed, they lost everything including the dog.”

‘YOUNG BOY AT THE DOOR SCREAMING’

Mr Parks said the mum, before driving her partner to work on the morning of the fire, had tried to wake the children to take them with her, but that proved difficult so she left them at home.

“(The mum) was actually shocked when she arrived (home) and she was basically paralysed for nearly a minute or so, standing there not knowing what to do.

“And the young boy was at the door screaming because the door was locked so the kids couldn’t get out.

“It’s a tragedy in itself but I suppose this type of thing, hopefully brings home to the wider public … you simply just can’t leave children on their own.”

Mr Parks said the mum was taken to hospital after the fire for smoke inhalation.

The two children were also taken to hospital for the same reason, as well as a man in his 30s.

Mr Parks said the legislation under which the mum was charged was introduced in 2008.

“Because the only way (someone) could be charged with an offence for leaving a child under the age of 12 on its own prior to that, was if the child was neglected or if the child suffered injury,” he said.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale then interjected to speak about people who left children alone in locked cars and Mr Parks replied: “Or that, Your Honour.”

Mr Parks said the mum, who was nursing a three-week old baby in court – her third child – was “extremely remorseful for what happened”.

“It’s an extreme error of judgment,” he said.

Ms Beckinsale took into account that the mum had no criminal history, the family had lost all of its uninsured possessions in the fire, and that this had been a traumatic incident.

She fined the mum $750 and no conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Children trapped in Biloela house fire after QLD mother left them alone