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Treicee Taufa, left, whose daughter Ardelle died in the blaze, with Selamafe Kaafi, centre, the sister of Fusi Taufa, who also died. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen
Source: The Australian

Forensic crews will this morning continue removing bodies from the scene of the house fire south of Brisbane which claimed 11 lives.

YOUNG mother Anamalia Taufa was seen as a shining light and role model in a tough area burdened by economic disadvantage on Brisbane’s southside

The 23-year-old, who perished with her two daughters, her mother, her sister’s child, her aunt and her aunt’s five children in a modest house at the bottom of Wagensveldt Street in Kingston early yesterday, wanted to be a lawyer and help her Tongan-Samoan relations.

Instead she lost her life in Australia’s worst building fire since 15 people died in the 2000 Childers backpacker hostel inferno, also in Queensland.

Fire investigators and police are examining four large gas cylinders that were crudely connected to a hot water system and stove.

Only three of the 14 people who went to sleep in the high-set home survived – all men, partners of the three mothers. The men scrambled clear, believing in the panic and confusion that they were joining the women and children in an escape.

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“One of the men yelled out ‘throw down the kids’ because he had already thrown a mattress that they could fall on, but there was an explosion and then there was no chance,” a relative, Saia, told The Australian yesterday.

Rescue was impossible for firefighters who arrived within seven minutes of the first emergency call. A relative, Tofi Tusa, said he had been worried about the risk of fire on a recent visit to the four-bedroom fibro-and-brick home, but using gas was less expensive than electricity for the extended Samoan-Tongan family.

“It’s normal in our community for there to be so many people in one house because we like to stay together and raise our children with lots of relations, but it can cost a lot for power so they use gas,” Mr Tusa said.

Police confirmed the cylinders vented during the blaze, possibly feeding the flames that engulfed the house within minutes. In a coronial inquiry the safety issues arising from the ad hoc use of gas cylinders for household use are expected to be rigorously investigated. Neighbours did not report hearing any smoke alarms.

For forensics experts, including several with experience of the Bali bombing in 2002, identifying the bodies will require the comparison of dental charts. The intensity of the blaze surprised senior fire investigators. Police Superintendent Noel Powers described it as a “total and utter catastrophe, a tragedy beyond all proportions”.

The bodies of four of the 11 victims – eight of them children or teenagers aged 3, 6, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17 and 18 – were removed late yesterday, as several hundred members of the Pacific Island community gathered at the scene, raising their voices in mournful song.

One of the three male survivors, Jeremiah Lale, who received minor burns, walked in front of the house trying to make sense of the loss of his family. A worker in a plastics factory, he and his family had moved into the house six weeks earlier and were looking for their own place.

John Pale, a leader of the Samoan community in Brisbane, said: “Jeremiah told me he heard a bang. He said ‘I got up and I found the fire was everywhere so I tried to get my family out from the upstairs’. He broke the window and threw down a mattress so they could jump with him, but they didn’t follow.

“Jeremiah has lost his five children, his wife and his wife’s sister. We are doing everything we can but he is devastated, shocked and bewildered.”

Amid the tragedy, the ambitions and achievements of Anamalia Tuafa were highlighted by those who saw her as potential community leader. “Everybody here knows her because she was an exceptional role model, especially for the young kids,” said a relative, Teresa. “She was not just a young mum. She was working for a law firm, studying law and doing a lot of work for the community to help the people understand the law.”

Anamalia, a committed Mormon, helped the jobless get their act together in Kingston, a melting pot for Pacific Islanders in one of Brisbane’s most multicultural communities. Those with jobs would cruise over to the house to make sure their annual income tax returns were in order.

Anamalia, the 2005 Mabel State High School captain, had a diploma of justice and management and ambitions for a law degree at Griffith University, and cheerfully gave free legal advice to friends in brushes with the law.

Her full-time work in the personal injury division at Hall Payne Lawyers reinforced her reputation in the community as someone going places.

Rob Callander, her employer at Hall Payne, said: “She was just a beautiful young girl who had started near the bottom with us and was working her way up. Her infectious smile and fun-loving spirit lightened our work days.”

Apart from these achievements, Anamalia was above all a devoted mother to her daughters, Lahaina, 6, and Kaylahni, 3, and partner to her high school sweetheart, Misi Matauaina, 22.

Her friend from high school, Adelle Fitisemanu, grew up with Anamalia and Misi in Logan, saying they were well-known in the community. “She was a great mum, involved in everything,” Ms Fitisemanu said. “Ana was always being the strong type; she was tough.”

Another friend, Agnes Voka, 23, said the Taufa family brought together many in the community.

“Their family helps a lot of families around here and everyone gets along with them,” Ms Voka said.

Ms Matauaina’s uncle, Faiumu Tafeaga, said his young nephew had survived by jumping out the window of the second storey, and remained at the scene with family in the hours afterwards.

“He is all right but so nervous – so shocked,” Mr Tafeaga said. “He didn’t know. He was sleeping and the girlfriend came and woke him up. He thought the girlfriend and the kids were out and he jumped out of the house. When he got out his girlfriend and the kids – there was no one outside. Then there was no time to get out of the house and get the kids.”

Local Samoan Methodist church minister Ioane Tupo said traditionally Polynesians gathered at the site of the death to pay their respects and pray. “The main thing is we can give courage and give comfort,” he said.

Seven bodies remained in the house overnight as police maintained a cordon around the property.

Logan City councillor Graham Able said the city woke up to “the saddest day in Logan’s history”. “Thousands of tears will be shed over this,” Mr Able said. “They are a very close community.”

Mayor Pam Parker said the community was rallying behind the families.

“We’ve just got to stand back and love and support them and cover them with prayers,” Ms Parker said. “This is the biggest tragedy in Logan’s history, such a loss of life. I keep imagining those kids just trying to get out of the building as it’s burning – it’s just heart-wrenching and it’s frightening to think about.”

Additional reporting: Rosanne Barrett