Clayfield boy killed in tragic house fire in Brisbane’s north identified as Max Chirila

Heartbreaking audio has emerged of a mum’s frantic screams for her little boy trapped inside their burning home and the moment she realises he’s gone.

Max Chirila, 6, was unable to escape the blaze that engulfed his family’s home in Clayfield in Brisbane’s north in the early hours of Monday morning.

His life was tragically cut short two weeks shy of his seventh birthday. 

His parents and little brother managed to escape in time as neighbours woke to the sound of ‘deafening screams’.

Chilling footage of the flames ripping through the home captured the desperate cries of Max’s mum Karen after she realised he was still trapped in his bedroom at the back of the home.

‘No! No!’ she’s heard screaming.

‘He’s gone! He’s gone! He’s gone!’

Her shattered husband was also seen at the scene in a wheelchair being comforted by firefighters and friends before breaking down in tears.

He had managed to escape the blaze on a broken leg suffered in a recent scooter accident.

A six-year-old boy has died after a fire ripped through a home in Brisbane ‘s north

The boy was just two weeks from celebrating his seventh birthday before he was killed in the blaze at the Barlow Street home in Clayfield at 4am on Monday

Another family member was seen collapsing to the ground in grief and shouting, ‘Maxie, Maxie my boy’. 

Max’s devastated father returned to the scene on Monday afternoon, where he was consoled by family and friends as he inspected bouquets of flowers left by shocked locals.

‘They’re a lovely local family,’ a shocked neighbour told the Courier Mail.

‘The flames were metres and metres in the air and then we heard screaming. It was a bit confronting. Really awful.’ 

Another added: ‘They were very nice people, quiet and beautiful neighbours’

Firefighters battled the blaze for 45 minutes before extinguishing the flames and discovering Max’s body in a bedroom. 

Investigations into the blaze are continuing but may have been sparked by a possible electrical fault with charging batteries.

‘The crews did the best they could when they arrived, and we had 26 firefighters here who worked tirelessly to get it under control,’ Superintendent Paul Durston said.

‘The fire developed and gets very hot internally and then the windows fail and all the air comes in and the fire starts to enrage quite quickly.’ 

Superintendent Durston said fire crews were ‘distraught’.

‘They [the crews] made their way down the hallway to the back of the house where the fire is believed to have started, and then from there worked their way back extinguishing the fire,’ he said.

Neighbours said they heard ‘deafening screams’ and sounds of explosions as the fire ripped through the house.

‘The fireball was metres, and metres, and metres in the air,’ one said. ‘We heard the screaming and it was a bit confronting, and really awful.’ 

Another added: ‘I looked out and all I could see was smoke. It was thick’. 

Neighbours said they heard ‘deafening screams’ and sounds of explosions as the fire ripped through the house

The mother and four-year-old were treated for minor injuries while the father was treated for burns to his hands

The family were described as ‘nice people’ and ‘beautiful neighbours’. 

The mother and four-year-old were treated for minor injuries while the father was treated for burns to his hands. 

None of the family members required treatment at hospital. 

Queensland Police launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. 

‘At this stage due to the damage of the house, we haven’t been able to ascertain any cause of the fire,’ Superintendent Durston said.