Police provide a major update on the cause of the Russell Island fire near Brisbane as they comb through the charred remains of the home

Police provide a major update on the cause of the Russell Island fire near Brisbane as they comb through the charred remains of the home

• Autopsies conducted on the six victims 
• Only two people survived the tragedy

By Padraig Collins For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 05:52 BST, 10 August 2023 | Updated: 06:06 BST, 10 August 2023

Autopsies have been carried out on the six victims of the Russell Island fire tragedy, but officials cautioned that determining the cause of the blaze might take several weeks. 

The news came as the police were seen taking gas cannisters from the scene of the disaster. 

The victims were Wayne Godinet, 34, along with his four-year-old twins Kyza and Koa, his three-year-old son Nicky, and his stepsons Zack, 11, and Harry, 10. 

They died after they were trapped inside their burning home in south-east Queensland early on Sunday morning.

The boys’ mother, Samantha Stephenson, 28, and her sister Connie ­Campbell, 20, fled to safety and survived.

Samantha Stephenson (right) is mourning the tragic deaths of her partner Wayne Godinet and her five sons. The couple are pictured with twins Kyza and Koa

A police officer is pictured taking a gas cannister from the scene of a tragic fire in Queensland

‘The post mortems have been finalised … some preliminary results have come back on those today,’ Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham told the Courier Mail.

‘I’m awaiting the final determination through the rest of the day.’

Neighbours recalled seeing Ms Stephenson running outside screaming ‘my children, my children’ as her partner raced back into the inferno to rescue the five boys sleeping upstairs.

A heartbroken Ms Stephenson has urged every parent to ‘check your smoke alarms and hold your babies’.

She’s not ready to speak publicly about the tragedy but has thanked the community for the outpouring of support.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the investigation into the fatal fire could take weeks.

‘These investigations are incredibly complex and difficult, so while the community and I think many people are hoping that we might have a resolution in the next day or two, that might not be the case,’ she said. 

Ms Carroll revealed police had spoken with Ms Stephenson about what had happened.

‘You can’t describe what it’s like for a mother to have to go through what she’s gone through,’ she said.

Meanwhile, the fundraising platform GoFundMe has issued a warning regarding fraudulent pages attempting to exploit the tragedy for financial gain.

‘We have activated the GoFundMe crisis response team, and they are actively overseeing the platform for any fundraisers connected to the incident,’ the organisation said.

‘This dedicated team will consistently monitor, assess, and authenticate all fundraising campaigns.’

The gutted Russell Island home where six people lost their lives remained a crime scene on Wednesday

Distraught friends and neighbours placed flowers, cards, soccer balls and teddy bears at a growing shrine outside the gutted Russell Island home

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