Everyone who saw the fire talks about how quickly it spread.
“Straight away there was black smoke everywhere,” says Brad Groat, a neighbour who saw the flames take hold of the old timber and tin Queenslander home on Russell Island in Redland Bay, near Brisbane.
“The house was gone in less than five minutes. And next door just as quick,” he said.
Another neighbour said he arrived quickly, but the fire was already so fierce there was little he could do.
Inside the home, five boys and their father died.
Beneath a tree outside, people left bunches of flowers for Wayne Godinet, 34, and his sons: Zack, 11, Harry, 10, 4-year-old twins Kyza and Koah, and Nicky, 3.
Godinet was reportedly attempting to rescue his children when he died. The boys’ mother, Samantha Stephenson, was heard screaming for help as she escaped.
The fire has shaken the isolated community, whose residents are a mix of long-term islanders and those who have come over on the ferry in search of refuge or cheap housing.
Then on Monday, locals were shaken again: police announced a major investigation.
Det Supt Andrew Massingham held a press conference on Monday morning, announcing 25 detectives had been tasked to investigate and that police were keeping an “open mind”.
He said it was not yet determined whether the fire would be treated as suspicious.
“The establishment of the investigation centre is because there are some elements of this incident … that do require closer scrutiny,” Massingham said.
“It’s important that I tell you that we’re keeping an open mind with respect to this matter.
“As I say, no determination has been made. But there are some aspects of it that require further investigation.”
Massingham told reporters Godinet had been known to police, but could not provide further information. He said police would examine the “nature and frequency” of prior police attendance at the property.
Community heartbroken
On the front fence of the school is a garland of cards with messages like: “To Harry, you will be forever in our hearts”; and “You will be missed”.
One child’s card reads “I was his BFF” and “we should celebrate his life”. But in larger writing over the top they wrote “how did it happen”. The background is a flame.
Most locals knew the family. At school, kids spent the day learning to deal with grief, with ordinary classes cancelled.
Mum Carerra Terera says her tiny boy was best friends with Kyza, in kindergarten.
“And he said, ‘Mum, my best friend’s coming to kinder,’” she said.
“I said ‘No he’s not now, he’s not coming to kinder any more.’
“So we’re just trying to understand what’s going on. And his best friend won’t be coming to kinder tomorrow.”
Student Charlotte Craig said teachers were “just heartbroken”.
“They wouldn’t stop crying. Or the students. Just crying all day.”
Her mother, Tori Craig, said Russell Island was the sort of place where everyone knew the family.
“It’s a beautiful place. Everyone’s lovely [it] just feels like a big family most of the time, like everyone’s connected in some way. Whenever there’s anything wrong, people just band together and sort it out.”
Dave Brown has lived on Russell Island for two years. He lives four minutes down the road from where the fire started and said the local community is shattered by the news.
“The island is a great community. [We] always come together, the same camaraderie as a small country town,” he said. “There’s a lot of shock and disbelief. Things like this don’t happen here … I feel for [Samantha] so much … There aren’t words for this.”
The local MP, Kim Richards, cried as she said: “Really, words just can’t express the grief and the loss of our community.”
On Todman Street, investigations continued on Monday. Police tape blocked the road and officers say it might take another few days to properly investigate the scene, such is the extent of the fire’s damage. It’s so recent the building still smells of smoke.
Massingham said fire investigators would work into Tuesday to attempt to establish the source of the fire.
“But I do appeal to people that may have information in respect of this matter, whether they be on Russell Island or elsewhere [to come forward].
“Whilst these issues are very emotive, it is very important that not only us as investigators keep an open mind, but it’s also important for the community to think that way, as challenging as that may be for some people,” he said.
