Two teenagers have died after suffering horrific burns in a suspicious house fire in north Queensland – as police launch an investigation.
Emergency services rushed to the two-storey home on Chandler Street in Garbutt, Townsville, after locals spotted smoke at about 3pm on Friday.
Two 18-year-old men were rushed to Townsville University Hospital after being rescued from the home by neighbours.
One of the teenagers died overnight while the second man was flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a critical condition.
He passed away on Saturday morning.
Queensland Police are treating the fire as suspicious.
Stephen Hourn, station officer for South Townsville, said the flames did not spread to any other properties with firefighters fighting the blaze for about an hour.
‘The house had sustained significant fire, smoke and water damage,’ he said.
A neighbour said he heard ‘three explosions’ before the fire took hold.
Another man said he had helped rescue the men from the house.
‘It was full-on flames … there were a bunch of people, fire trucks, police, everything, it was pretty hectic,’ he told 7News.
‘I saw the flames coming out of the kitchen area and after that I saw the smoke.’
Anyone with CCTV or video from Chandler Street at about the time of the blaze has been urged by police to come forward.
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