The Toowoomba community is grieving after a child died in a house fire on Wednesday morning.
Emergency services were initially called around 12:30am to reports the Merritt Street address was on fire.
When the fire brigade arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flame and firefighters initially struggled to control the blaze.
Seven people were inside the house but only six were able to escape to safety.
A 34-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman, and four children managed to flee the burning building with the woman and two children being taken to Brisbane with critical injuries. The man was also transported to Toowoomba Hospital with serious injuries.
A fifth child was found dead inside the home this morning. Police confirmed the body was found just after 9am, with formal identification of the deceased ongoing.
Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire, and police are appealing to anyone who may have information or relevant vision to come forward.
UPDATED as of 8 May 2025:
Three children are dead after a suspicious fire broke out at a Harristown home early Wednesday.
A 36-year-old woman remains in a critical condition at Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital under police guard.
Emergency services were called to the Merritt Street property around 12.30am on Wednesday, finding it engulfed in flames and firefighters initially struggled to control the blaze.
Seven people were inside the house but only six were able to escape the flames.
A 34-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman, and four children managed to escape the burning building with the woman and two children being taken to Brisbane with critical injuries. The man was also transported to Toowoomba Hospital with serious injuries.
A fifth child was found dead inside the home on Wednesday morning. Police confirmed the body was found just after 9am, with formal identification of the deceased ongoing.
The two children who were rushed to Brisbane, a 4-year-old girl and 7-year-old girl, subsequently died at Queensland Children’s Hospital from their injuries.
The 34-year-old man, an 18-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy managed to escape the fire.
The house remains a crime scene and is currently being forensically examined as part of Operation Xray Paxton with assistance from the Homicide Investigation Unit.
Police are continuing to treat the fire as suspicious, are not looking for anyone else in connection to this incident at this time.
Police have appealed to anyone who may have information or relevant video footage to come forward.
