Three children under 10 dead in Brisbane car fire
Four people, including three children, have died after a car was allegedly set alight in Brisbane’s east.
At a press conference, Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said the three children were all aged under 10.
A man known to the children also died inside the vehicle, while a woman known to the children has suffered extensive injuries.
A Queensland Police spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia police were called to Raven Street in Camp Hill at 8.20am on Wednesday morning.
Police confirmed the deceased lived in the area.
Police Minister Mark Ryan said investigations into the “tragic set of events” were ongoing.
“[It is] a horrific incident,” he said, addressing Parliament.
Det Insp Thompson said the incident was one of the most horrific scenes he’s faced during his career.
“It's a terrible scene... a terrible thing to be presented with.”
Residents reveal woman’s screams for help
The injured woman suffered serious burns and has been taken to hospital.
A resident told The Australian he heard a woman screaming: “He’s poured petrol on me.”
Other residents told the Courier Mail they heard loud explosions before seeing flames “so high in the air”.
“It was absolutely unbelievable, I’ve never seen anything like this,” a female neighbour said.
Neighbour Murray Campbell said he heard a number of loud bangs that sounded “very much like a gas cylinder explosion”.
Paramedics stood down after ‘confronting’ scene
Seven ambulance crews responded to the scene, with all crew stood down from duty following the incident.
“They did everything they could,” Queensland Ambulance Service’s Senior Operations Supervisor Adrian Tong told reporters.
“It was confronting.”
Mr Tong also confirmed a man who witnessed the incident suffered facial burning after trying to get to the car and assist those inside.
Det Insp Thompson said it was too early to comment on the cause of the fire and would not confirm whether the incident was murder-suicide when pressed by reporters.
"How the fire actually occurred has not been ascertained at the moment, so for us to call it a murder-suicide or a tragic accident, it's inappropriate at this stage,” he said.
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