Firefighter still in hospital after raging house fire in Bundaberg

One firefighter remains in hospital while another has been discharged following a devastating house fire in Bundaberg on Thursday. LATEST, NEW VIDEOS

One firefighter remained in hospital in a stable condition on Friday, while another has been discharged after they were both stretchered from the scene of a devastating house fire in Bundaberg on Thursday.
A Queensland Fire Department spokeswoman said the North Bundaberg fire had been ruled an accidental incident, and that one firefighter was treated for a medical condition at the scene on Thursday before being taken to Bundaberg Hospital in a serious condition.

A Queensland Ambulance spokesman also said he suffered a medical episode, understood to be a cardiac arrest.

A Wide Bay Hospital spokeswoman said the man was in a stable condition as of midday Friday.


Senior operations officer Martin Kelly said fire crews treated several people from the home on Thursday but nobody needed ambulance transport.

It was reported that a young man in the home at the time the fire broke out had woken up from a nap, saw the fire,. alerted others inside and evacuated everybody from the building.

Mr Kelly said aid the fire had ‘completely destroyed’ the two-storey timber home.

It was one of several house fires in Bundaberg in the past week, including a unit complex fire that forced 20 people to evacuate, and which a man has since been charged with arson and wilful damage, and another in Avoca, where a man allegedly set off firecrackers inside a bedroom during the Bundaberg North fire.

Despite two colleagues being injured in Thursday’s significant incident, Mr Kelly said the crews remained professional.

“They just acted like the best team,” he said. “We take our hats off to the firies.”

QAS said six paramedic units attended the house fire and another person was treated for smoke inhalation but declined transportation.

Police evacuated homes near Bundaberg North High School and a firefighter was stretchered out after a two-storey timber house opposite the school went up in flames Thursday.

Another two people on scene were also assessed, stable, and declined transportation to hospital.

Multiple emergency crews were called to the scene at Barber St about 3.30pm, with neighbours saying they heard a “bang” at the time the fire broke out.

The home was well alight by the time crews arrived, with smoke billowing across the street.

Mr Kelly said paramedics had treated two firefighters who were injured in the blaze.

“It was quite a long and involved fire, and unfortunately a couple of firefighters have been injured,” he said.

Paramedics initially checked on two people from the house, and a security guard from the nearby school, but had no information on how the fire may have started.

“I spoke to the owner of the house, and they’re not sure what caused the fire,” he said.

“One of the young people in the house discovered the fire and woke everybody up to get them out.

“They evacuated a house nearby because there was concern the fire might spread.”

Mr Kelly said the “significant” fire had completely destroyed the “old wooden” house, but praised emergency services for their professionalism during the event.

Multiple emergency crews were called to the scene at Barber St about 3.30pm, with neighbours saying they heard a “bang” at the time the fire broke out.

“There were a number of senior people from each of the services here, and we worked together as a team to get a good conclusion,” he said.

“(QFD) were absolutely professional. They assisted us in treatment of both those patients - we take our hats off to them.”

A QFD spokesman said fireys were finally able to gain access to the inside of the home after about 40 minutes of fighting the flames and it was contained about 5pm.

The family’s dog was reportedly missing in the wake of the fire.

Investigations continue.

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Originally published as Firefighter still in hospital after raging house fire in Bundaberg