Two people narrowly escaped a fire that destroyed a home in Brisbane's inner-south overnight after neighbours spotted flames and raised the alarm.
Just after 10pm, emergency services received multiple triple-0 calls about a blaze inside a high-set Queenslander in Highgate Hill.
Jo Myers said she called emergency services while other neighbours tried to alert the two people living inside the burning home.
"We heard what we thought was the children next door banging on the roof, but it wasn't — it was actually the people that back onto the house that was on fire," she said.
"They were calling out 'fire, fire!' So, we just looked over and we could see flames coming out of the back of the house," she said.
Ms Myers said the siblings had lived in the family home for at least 22 years.
"They were obviously a bit shocked, but they were pretty stoic," she said.
"Today it will probably hit them in terms of what they've lost of their past," Ms Myers said.
A spokesperson for Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) said by the time they arrived flames had engulfed the entire home.
The fire was finally extinguished in the early hours of the morning.
QFES Deputy Commissioner Michael Wassing said the two residents were lucky to escape without injury.
"The real dangerous fires, where people are largely either injured or we have fatal house fires … occur late at night or in the early hours of the morning when people are sleeping," he said.
"That's particularly dangerous if you don't have working smoke alarms."
It's not clear if the home was fitted with fire alarms.
Police are not treating the blaze as suspicious, but fire investigators were expected to return today to determine the cause.
"We're still investigating the entirety of the matter including the cause of that fire, so we don't have the full details, but we do understand that the neighbours certainly helped in getting the occupants awake and being able to escape," he said.
"We commend those neighbours for that quick action and deliberate action. That certainly helps us our crews when they get there — to know that all persons are accounted for is always our priority," Deputy Commissioner Wassing said.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services attend around 40 house fires each week, and get called out more often in the winter months.
"The nights are still cold, people still have heaters and other things. In general … we know that we get more home fires and residential fires at this time of the year," Deputy Commissioner Wassing said.
"It's absolutely a reminder about people making sure that they have working smoke alarms, that they've got a fire escape plan and that the electrical fire safety systems are in place and prepared."
