A blaze that engulfed four homes in Brisbane’s north was likely caused by a fuel spill by a resident trying to fill up a vehicle, according to the Queensland Fire Department (QFD).
Three homes were lost and three people taken to hospital, one with significant burns, after the fire spread quickly on Evelyn Street at Grange on Saturday afternoon.
Two of the injured people are firefighters, one with burns on an arm and another with a heart condition.
A fourth home has also suffered damage.
QFD Acting Chief Superintendent Douglas May said the blaze was brought under control in difficult conditions.
“It appears that a fuel spill, when someone was filling up a vehicle, has ignited on the ground, and that person has unfortunately received some burns and has gone to hospital,” Chief Superintendent May said.
“They’re OK but they’re at hospital being treated.
“Their house was the first that was gone of course, and they called triple-0 immediately and got us on the road.”
Chief Superintendent May said 40 firefighters were called to the blaze.
“This was a very significant fire, it’s not common that we have so many houses go in a row — it was because of that steep street where fire jumps from one house to the next and because of that wind in particular, it made it very hard to get under control,” he said.
Fire crews were called shortly after 2pm on Saturday.
Chief Superintendent May said everyone in the affected houses was able to escape immediately.
Videos from the scene show the street lined with emergency crews and a two-storey home gutted by fire.
One resident received calls from friends in the street telling him his house was in danger.
“We’ve just literally arrived home now, our house is looking like it’s going to go up in flames, it’s a terrible situation,” he said.
“We’ve got three cats in there and they can’t be replaced — possessions can.”
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