Three homes have been destroyed in a fire while one man has been rushed to hospital with serious burns to his leg and face.
The blaze erupted in Evelyn Street, in Grange, in Brisbane‘s north, just after 2.10pm on Saturday.
Three houses have been completely engulfed by flames while a fourth home has suffered extensive damage.
Ten firefighting crews were called to the scene, with the Queensland Fire Department reporting the blaze is now under control, after the fire jumped to several homes.
‘Heavy smoke is still affecting the area and will continue to do so throughout the evening,’ a QFES spokesperson said, adding crews will remain at the scene well into Friday evening.
‘Nearby residents should close windows and doors and keep respiratory medications close by.’
QFES Acting Chief Superintendent Douglas May said the fire is believed to have started from a fuel spill, the Courier Mail reported.
‘Reports are that a gentleman was refuelling his car and some of it spilt and an ignition source has set it alight,’ he said.
The blaze caught alight in Evelyn Street, in Grange, in Brisbane ‘s north, just after 2pm on Saturday
Firefighters will remain at the scene well into Saturday evening
Ten firefighting crews were called to the scene, with the Queensland Fire Department reporting the blaze is now under control, after the fire jumped to several homes
‘He has received some burns and has been taken to hospital. He immediately called triple-0 and got out of their own house and alerted the neighbours.’
That man was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a serious but stable condition with burns to his leg and face.
Two firefighters have also been taken to hospital, one for minor burns to their arm, and the other for chest pain stemming from suspected heat stress.
One of the homeowners to lose everything is David Topp, who’d lived in his property for nine years with his family.
Emergency services remain at the scene as firefighters work to tackle the blaze
Smoke billowing out from the houses could be seen kilometres away
‘We have three cats and we don’t know what’s happened to them…you can replace possessions but you can’t replace what’s important,’ he told the publication, saying he and his family had just returned home when they saw the inferno.
‘We have two kids and I’m just devastated for them.’
Intense winds had caused the fire to jump to several houses along the street, with neighbours smashing windows to rescue pets.
Emergency services including police, paramedics and fire crews remain at the scene.
Black smoke has been seen billowing into the sky from suburbs away as residents are evacuated from the street.