Babysitter feared dead in Thorneside townhouse fire is identified – after eight-year-old girl lost her life

The babysitter unaccounted for in a horror townhouse fire has been identified after tributes poured in for the eight-year-old girl killed in the blaze.

Emergency services were called to a house on Bayside Court in Thorneside, east of Brisbane, about 7.15am on Sunday.

Firefighters arrived to find the townhouse fully alight but were able to extinguish it about an hour later.

Searches of the property for two people unaccounted for after the fire were delayed after the home’s roof collapsed due to the severity of the fire.

Eight-year-old Raven Contini’s body was found inside the burnt-out home while her babysitter Stephanie Ryan, 31, remains unaccounted for.

A body has been found among the rubble, however it is yet to be identified.

‘A port-mortem and scientific examination will take place to confirm the identities of the deceased,’ a QLD Police spokesman said. 

‘Investigations are continuing to determine the cause of the fire.’ 

Police hold grave concerns for Raven’s babysitter Stephanie Ryan (pictured), 31, who remains unaccounted for after the fire

Letters and flowers in tribute of Raven have been left at the scene on Monday (pictured)

Handwritten notes for Raven were seen outside the property on Monday, with one letter stating ‘fly high beautiful girl’ and was accompanied by a hand drawn dove.

Another letter stated: ‘You tried everything you could to (be) the beautiful girl.

‘You know that everyone loved you. Even though I didn’t know you, you will be dearly missed.’

Raven’s mother and stepfather were interstate at the time of the fire, and have remembered how much the eight-year-old loved cooking, shopping and socialising.

‘(She was a) very special, very well loved eight-year-old girl,’ they told Nine News.

‘She was very pretty, (had) long hair and she lifted them up when they saw her.’

Ms Ryan is understood to have been babysitting the young girl while the her mother and stepfather were holidaying in Ballina, in Northern NSW.

She had only arrived in Brisbane on a holiday from Darwin on the Tuesday before the fire. 

Detective inspector Paul Dentron on Monday revealed a male ‘family friend’ who lived on the same street left the home for a ‘few minutes’ around the time of the fire.  

‘He left the premises for a few minutes to go to the shop,’ he said.

Mr Dentron was unable to comment on specifics but noted there are ‘unexplained’ circumstances surrounding the fire.

While no other injuries have been reported, Chief Inspector Hahne said he expected it would take some time to determine the cause of the fire.

‘It’s a confronting scene for all emergency services, and I’m quite sure for the residents and our hearts go out to the families affected by this,’ Chief Inspector Hahne said.

‘For the next few hours and even the next couple of days, this scene will be an ongoing investigation.

‘There was some support from neighbours, people surrounding to get it under control.’

One letter reads ‘fly high beautiful girl’ and was accompanied by a hand drawn dove (pictured) 

Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire (pictured) at about 8am but searches of the property were delayed after the home’s roof collapsed

Investigators are probing several ‘unexplained’ circumstances, including a family friend of the Contonis leaving the home for a few minutes around the time of the blaze (pictured)

Chief Inspector Hahne said he fire was under control by 8am but firefighters are continuing to make the structure ‘safe’.

Neighbour Xia Iheng told the ABC she had tried desperately to assist after witnessing the fire tear through the home.

I said ‘I don’t have a hose, I only have buckets’ and a young lady helped me to water the fire, but it was so strong,’ she said.

‘I feel overwhelmed, many emotions, just shocked and exhausted.’

Photos from the scene show one side of the roof collapsed during the blaze.

Queensland Police have declared the fire a crime scene as investigations into the cause of the blaze are underway.