A woman has been charged over a devastating fire that killed five young children and their father on Russell Island last year.
Wayne Godinet, 34, died along with his four-year-old twins Kyza and Koa, his three-year-old son Nicky and his stepsons Zack, 11, and Harry, 10, in an inferno at their home on Russell Island, in the south. east of Brisbane in August last year.
The children’s mother, Samantha Stephenson, 28, and her sister were able to escape the fire.
The landlord, a 61-year-old woman from Tweeds Heads, has been issued a summons to appear at Cleveland Magistrates Court on March 26 over the alleged lack of compliant smoke detectors in the property.
Father Wayne Godinet, 34, and his five sons (pictured) died after being trapped in a deadly fire on Queensland’s Russell Island
The fire was so intense that firefighters were only able to search the remains of the house late Sunday afternoon after battling from 6:18 a.m.
She was not present when the fire started.
“Detectives continue to investigate the fire and it is expected that a final report will be submitted to the coroner in the near future,” a Queensland Police spokesperson said.
The fire was so intense that it was razed to the ground, leveling the building and destroying two adjacent properties.
Mr Godinet returned to the burning building in an attempt to save the children, but was killed inside when the second floor collapsed.
At the scene of the tragedy, roses and gerberas were left against a charred piece of masonry
Neighbors recalled seeing Mrs Stephenson running outside screaming “my children, my children” as her partner ran back into the inferno to rescue the five boys sleeping upstairs.
A heartbroken Mrs Stephenson previously urged every parent to ‘check your smoke detectors and hold your babies’.
One of her sisters later arrived at the scene to lay three roses and three gerberas against a charred piece of brickwork in memory of the victims.
Dozens of Mr Godinet’s people traveled from New Zealand to pay tribute to the victims with a powerful Haka.