Fire investigators will work to establish the cause of an explosion which destroyed a Brisbane townhouse on Wednesday and required surrounding streets to be locked down for several hours.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) received multiple 000 calls just before 1pm regarding an explosion and fire on Nambucca Close in Murrumba Downs.
On their way to the scene, crews upgraded the job as they could see large dark plumes of smoke emerging from the property, a QFES spokesperson said. They arrived to find the two-storey building on fire and the attached garage collapsed.
Police worked to evacuate surrounding residents and made an emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act, which was lifted before 5pm.
There have been no reports of injuries. The fire was extinguished shortly after 3pm, with an investigation into the cause ongoing.
QFES confirmed surrounding properties had been damaged by the explosion but were not affected by the fire.
Natasha Gamble was home with her baby on Wednesday afternoon when she heard the booming explosion from a few streets away.
“It sounded like something landed on our roof, it was that loud. I went out to have a look and I saw heaps of thick black smoke down the street,” she told Guardian Australia.
“We could see flames coming out from other houses and hear the crackling of the fire.”
Erin Crook, who lives 3km away on the other side of the highway, said the explosion was so loud it woke up her one-year-old child and set off her dogs.
“It shook the house, the windows. The smell afterwards was intense,” she said.
