Eyewitness – An elderly woman has died after firefighters pulled them from a smoke-filled unit complex on the Gold Coast, with police declaring a crime scene at the site, while a man was arrested following another major blaze north of Brisbane.
Firefighters were called to the Neptune resort on Surf Parade in Broadbeach at about 11am Saturday morning, pulling the woman from a third-storey unit.
Police said CPR was immediately administered but she was pronounced dead a short time later.
Three others were taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital in stable conditions. One person denied transport.
A Queensland Fire Department spokesperson said four crews were called to the blaze, where they found the entire third-floor shrouded in smoke.
The fire was out by 11.45am, they said.
Police confirmed on Saturday afternoon that a crime scene was declared at the resort and an investigation launched into the death. They have asked if anyone has vision of the incident or information to contact them.
To the north of Brisbane, multiple houses on Weaber Street in Clontarf were engulfed by flames, with 12 fire trucks on the scene as of 3pm.
Emergency services were called about 1.45pm. Injuries were reported at the scene.
Nine News reported that following an aerial police search, a man wanted for questioning over the fire was found in a nearby park and arrested on Saturday afternoon. He has not been charged yet.
Police declared a public safety exclusion zone around the fire at 2.10pm, urging people to stay inside with the windows shut.
The area included Watson Street, Isobel Street, Enoch Street, Gerald Avenue, Wendy Crescent, Bright Avenue and Cornelius Street.
The emergency declaration was revoked at 4.19pm, with the area now deemed safe.
