House fire a horror scene
A WOMAN critically injured in a fire that killed a dog and two cats was seen by witnesses running from her house with horrific injuries to her hands and face.
Michael, 55, and Liane Breeze, 50, suffered severe burns to the face, chest and hands when their Worongary home went up in flames at 3.40am yesterday.
They are now fighting for their lives at Royal Brisbane Hospital after the blaze completely destroyed their Mataranka Dve home, killing three of their pets.
One neighbour who asked not to be named said the scene was horrific.
“I just heard yelling, screaming ... it was pretty crazy,” she said. “She was just a mess – the skin (was) coming off her hands and face.
“He was worse.” A Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokeswoman said the house was “well involved” when firies arrived on scene.
It wasn’t until 4.54am that firefighters reported they had managed to control the blaze.
The building was reported to be “completely unstable”.
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said authorities believed the fire may have been caused by a fire pit on the verandah that was not completely extinguished after being used earlier in the night.
Neighbour Dave Brayshaw is caring for the two dogs that are believed to have escaped the blaze.
“Three quarters of his (Michael’s) hair was burnt off. He had long hair,” he said.
“How quickly it went up – that’s what the scary part was.”
Mark Brown captured footage of the fire as it ripped through the two-storey brick and tile home.
Mr Brown said the woman, now believed to be Liane Breeze, was heroic in her efforts to save her pets.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
“She was ... black (from the fire).
“She went back in to see if she could get the dogs and the cats out.
“She was wailing.”
Another neighbour said he was worried the blaze would spread and engulf his home.
“My dad was woken up ... with screams from the lady,” he said. “Windows were popping. We came out at about quarter past four and the whole house was ablaze.
“We were very concerned (the fire would spread to our house). My dad was spraying our own trees with water.
“I thought they were just being loud, I didn’t know why they were screaming.
“She was going ‘that’s my house, that’s my house’ ... something like that.”
Friends of the Breeze family yesterday set up a gofundme page which had attracted $2000 by the afternoon. ... howling and