Fatal house fire kills eleven people from same family
@RawBill1 (8531)
Gold Coast, Australia
August 26, 2011 7:34pm CST
This was horrific news during the week. Hearing about house fires that cause death on the radio news is not that uncommon, but to hear of eleven people all from the same extended family perishing in a house fire was very sad. This story has touched the hearts of many. 
Within a day of it happening there were people lining up to lay wreaths at the home and the State Premier even visited the site. It happened a few nights ago in a suburb of Brisbane, Australia about a 30 to 40 minute drive north of me. There is a fire station only 5 minutes away and they responded quickly to the fire, but it was so intense that there was nothing that they could do. 
A Vegan restaurant that is a customer of ours said that $1 from every meal sold this weekend is going to be donated to the family so we decided that $5 from every order that we get over this weekend will be donated also. 
There were actually 14 people living in this house which means that three people actually survived. But they now face the heartache of having lost their closest loved ones. I have included a couple of links to the story below.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/tau-taufas-big-heart-is-broken-by-death-of-family-in-slacks-creek-fire-tragedy/story-e6freuzr-1226122420315
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-27/logan-fire-investigation/2858256
Have you ever heard of such a tragic family incident?
What do you think of so many people living in one house? This definitely caused the large death toll, but maybe it also contributed to the fire being so intense?
Within a day of it happening there were people lining up to lay wreaths at the home and the State Premier even visited the site. It happened a few nights ago in a suburb of Brisbane, Australia about a 30 to 40 minute drive north of me. There is a fire station only 5 minutes away and they responded quickly to the fire, but it was so intense that there was nothing that they could do.
A Vegan restaurant that is a customer of ours said that $1 from every meal sold this weekend is going to be donated to the family so we decided that $5 from every order that we get over this weekend will be donated also.
There were actually 14 people living in this house which means that three people actually survived. But they now face the heartache of having lost their closest loved ones. I have included a couple of links to the story below.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/tau-taufas-big-heart-is-broken-by-death-of-family-in-slacks-creek-fire-tragedy/story-e6freuzr-1226122420315
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-27/logan-fire-investigation/2858256
Have you ever heard of such a tragic family incident?
What do you think of so many people living in one house? This definitely caused the large death toll, but maybe it also contributed to the fire being so intense?4 people like this
9 responses
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
8 Sep 11
Hi, RawBill1. This is my first time ever hearing about this. I have to say that this is very tragic and heartbreaking!!! So many innocent lives were lost in this house fire. My prayers go to the families of the lost victims. I am so sorry that something like this has happened. May God grant the peace and comfort to every family that has lost a friend, a loved one in this tragic fire.
So many innocent lives were lost in this house fire. My prayers go to the families of the lost victims. I am so sorry that something like this has happened. May God grant the peace and comfort to every family that has lost a friend, a loved one in this tragic fire.@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
8 Sep 11
Hi cream97. Good to see you back here again. 
It was a very sad event and one that will hopefully not happen again. The community has really gotten behind this family and have been making the healing process a little easier for them, but they face a long hard journey ahead of them.
It was a very sad event and one that will hopefully not happen again. The community has really gotten behind this family and have been making the healing process a little easier for them, but they face a long hard journey ahead of them. 
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
2 Sep 11
This is just too unbelievably sad. Hard to understand how so many could be trapped in the fire. I keep imagining the sound of their screams.
Apparently the fire was so intense it destroyed a lot of the house structure making it difficult and dangerous for the people to recover the bodies. So they were just left there while building supervisors were brought in to make things safe for the recovery team. How difficult for the community and the remaining family and friends to have to endure the waiting.
@Aussies2007 (5336)
• Australia
27 Aug 11
This is the curse of poverty.
Poor people breed like rabbits because they got nothing better to do.
So they have large families.
And since they have no money, they put 14 people in one house.
And an old crumbling weatherboard house at that.
Since money is the solution
There is no solution.
It is the life style they choose to live in.
What I cannot understand, is why they come to Australia to live the same life style they were living in their own country.
You cannot help people unless they are willing to help themselve.
Everytime you have a child while being poor, you take a backward step in poverty.
This is not the 19th century, where you would send your children working at 12 to pay the rent.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
27 Aug 11
You have some valid points there. But I think it is a cultural situation as well as an economical situation that finds so many people from the same family living in the same house. Apparently the situation was only temporary too and some were going to be moving out the next day.
I guess people see Australia as the lucky country where they can live the same way as they used to and get paid for it by the government. We have it good here and it is a little too easy to live off the government in my opinion.
I also agree with your point about creating more poverty by bringing more children into an already poor family. I guess they have religious beliefs which makes them against contraception, but they are still only human, so they have urges which need to me met. It is a sad situation for sure.
I guess people see Australia as the lucky country where they can live the same way as they used to and get paid for it by the government. We have it good here and it is a little too easy to live off the government in my opinion.
I also agree with your point about creating more poverty by bringing more children into an already poor family. I guess they have religious beliefs which makes them against contraception, but they are still only human, so they have urges which need to me met. It is a sad situation for sure. 
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
27 Aug 11
That is horrible, bill. Iam always sorry to hear of such bad things like that happening.I don't believe i have ever heard of a family incident like that. I personally wouldn't want to live w/so many people in one home. Blessings to the survivors. They will really have a hard time dealing w/this i'm sure.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
27 Aug 11
It certainly is horrible and I would not want to live with so many in one home either, but that is just because I come from a western country. To those in heavily populated areas, it would be considered normal. I have heard since I started this discussion that their living situation was only intended to be temporary and in fact a lot of them were supposed to be moving out the following day! So sad.
@whatrow (792)
• United States
27 Aug 11
The people of the Amish religion would be most likely to experience this. They all live together. When a daughter gets married, the couple move into the mother's house after an addition is constructed. So, if the house burns out of control, all of them could die.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
27 Aug 11
I did not know that about the Amish. I did know that they were a very close knit community though. There are obvious benefits to living as a close family together like that, but I guess this is one downside to it that few ever take into account until it happens.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
27 Aug 11
It is sad. There is not much that can help the remainders of this family now, but hopefully others living in similar situations can learn something from the results of the investigation.
@moonchild1au (6240)
• Australia
27 Aug 11
I have seen this in the news this week...it is sad...I have friends in that area & by seeing one of the ladies on the news, I think one of my friends has family ties to this family I really feel for the family.
I really feel for the family.@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
27 Aug 11
I know the area, but do know anyone living there I don't think unless some of my customers are there. It is a very tight knit community amongst all the Islanders in that part of Brisbane. They are very community oriented people and it must be so hard for them right now.
@tigeraunt (6326)
• Philippines
27 Aug 11
hi bill,
it is so tragic and i feel very sad for the family members who had to go through this loss. for me to have so many members in one household is fine, but they should have those emergency exits as a precaution for any emergencies.
question now is, what was the cause of the fire?
ann
@Lhales (26)
• Australia
27 Aug 11
I dont think I have ever heard of so many from one family dying in one incident.It must have been very crowded with so many people living in one house, but they must have had their reasons for that. Apparently though, the man who lost his wife and 5 children, had plans to move out with his family the next day.If the fire had occurred a day later,the lives of 6 people could have been saved, so was it meant to be. Such a terrible tradegy.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
27 Aug 11
Hi there Lhales. Welcome to MyLot. 
I know. I learned earlier that they were going to be moving out the next day. Life can be harsh like that. At the same time, you often hear of people who avoid disasters by missing their flights which end up crashing, or by feeling the urge to stop before crossing the street just before a car comes flying out of control down the street. I read that a boy was supposed to be sleeping over at the house that night but his father did not allow him to go and had no reason for it. Just a feeling that turned out to be correct. It is a sad story this one. No good at all.
I know. I learned earlier that they were going to be moving out the next day. Life can be harsh like that. At the same time, you often hear of people who avoid disasters by missing their flights which end up crashing, or by feeling the urge to stop before crossing the street just before a car comes flying out of control down the street. I read that a boy was supposed to be sleeping over at the house that night but his father did not allow him to go and had no reason for it. Just a feeling that turned out to be correct. It is a sad story this one. No good at all. 