A 13-year-old girl has been identified as the victim of a devastating house fire in Lawnton, north of Brisbane. Savannah Kerr died when flames engulfed a two-storey brick home on Darcy Way shortly after 5:30am on Sunday.
A man and a woman, both in their 30s, along with two other teenagers, escaped with severe burns. All four were rushed to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries and remained in critical but stable condition as of Monday afternoon.
Neighbours reported hearing explosions and seeing flames consume the home. “The fire brigade came around, they were quickly in there and the next minute the whole place just exploded,” said neighbour John McWha. The blaze gutted the house in minutes, causing the roof to collapse.
Investigators are examining the scene, with one line of inquiry focusing on an electric scooter or another battery-powered device. “There are some vehicles, an e-scooter and perhaps an e-bike, but that’s still forming part of our investigations,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Joseph Zitny.
Friends and neighbours have left floral tributes at the property, which remains a crime scene. “It’s so heartbreaking to see her gone,” said family friend Daniel Cannon. “She was young, playful and always keen for adventure.” A GoFundMe has been launched for one of the critically injured teenagers, who is on life support with third-degree burns covering 30% of her upper body.
