Footage has emerged of the moments before a fire broke out at a Brisbane home on Sunday morning, killing an eight-year-old girl and her babysitter.
Little Raven Contini was dead found inside the still smouldering townhouse in the suburb of Thornside, before the body of Stephanie Ryan, 31, was later discovered.
CCTV showed a white SUV leaving the Bayside Court complex at 7.10am, three minutes before smoke was seen coming from the townhouse.
As neighbours did their best to help, the SUV was then seen returning four minutes later, in footage obtained by 9News.
Police are investigating and no arrests have been made.
‘Just because the homicide investigation unit are engaged, doesn’t mean there’s anything that we’ve confirmed that is sinister at this stage,’ Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said.
‘It’s just undetermined, the actual cause of the fire and the death of the people involved.’
The SUV has since been towed to be forensically examined.
CCTV footage (pictured) has emerged of the moments before a fire broke out at a Brisbane home on Sunday morning, killing an eight-year-old girl and her babysitter
Raven Contini (pictured) was found inside the still smouldering townhouse in the suburb of Thornside
Its driver had been ‘very co-operative’ with police, Inspector Dalton added.
‘We have no suspects,’ he said.
‘There’s nothing to say that this fire is suspicious in any way, but we will treat it as though it is, until we find it, make a determination one way or another.’
Police urged anyone with information, mobile or CCTV footage to come forward.
The police are also reviewing footage from inside the townhouse complex.
Raven’s mother Chloe Rodgers-Falk and stepfather Matthew were holidaying in Ballina, NSW, at the time of the tragedy, and are ‘devastated’, Inspector Dalton said.
About 30 firefighters fought the blaze, which caused part of the townhouse’s roof to collapse.
Neighbour Xia Iheng told the ABC she tried desperately to help after seeing the fire tear through the home.
‘I said (to other witnesses) “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.’
Raven’s heartbroken family paid tribute to the little girl on Sunday night.
‘Loved cooking, loved shopping, love socialising, very special, very well loved eight-year-old girl,’ Christine Mary and Robert Arthur Rodgers-Falk said in a statement.
‘Nicknamed her Turtle. She was very pretty. Lifted us up when we saw her.’
The townhouse (pictured) was destroyed in the fire that started early on Sunday morning
Raven is pictured with her mother Chloe Rodgers-Falk and stepfather Matthew Rodgers-Falk
The body of Stephanie Ryan (pictured) was found later, after she was initially listed as unaccounted for
Relatives of both victims have organised online fundraisers.
‘Stephy will always be remembered as a smiley happy young woman always there for anyone that needed her without question with great love for her family and friends,’ Ms Ryan’s aunt Karen Linsley wrote on GoFundMe.
‘We are all devastated with the news of what happened yesterday.
‘We would like to give Steph the send off she deserves any help is much appreciated by all our family.’
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