Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Chiara Fiorillo

New mum killed in caravan fire already 'had bouquets picked out for her wedding'

A young mum who was planning her wedding with her partner has been killed with her friend when the caravan they were in went up in flames.

The bodies of Jane Strong, 26, and Eli Johnson, 22, were found by emergency services in Upper Brookfield, west of Brisbane, Australia, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The caravan was "completely destroyed" by the fire and Jane's fiancé Carl Weiss suffered burns to his hands while "trying to escape the fire or potentially alert people to the fire", the police said.

He was taken to the hospital where he remains in a stable condition, officials added.

Jane died in a caravan fire in Australia (Gofundme)

Ms Strong and Mr Weiss, who had welcomed a baby girl last year, were planning their wedding.

The woman was described by a friend as an "amazing" and "beautiful" person who was "taken too soon".

A friend wrote on Facebook: "R.I.P Janey, always remember the times together we had, me and Bryson will never forget the times we shared together being best friends for years. Sorry I didn't get to see you one last time."

Emergency services at the scene of the caravan fire in Upper Brookfield, Brisbane (7 News)

Another friend named Gemma Hogg, who was supposed to be maid of honour at the wedding, said Ms Strong was "always kind and understanding" and added: "Now I've lost that person."

She also said: "We had the bouquets picked out for her wedding. It’s shattering to think."

Dale Morton Johnson, the father of Eli Johnson, who was also killed in the tragedy, said he felt "lost".

She was described as 'kind' and 'understanding' (Gofundme)

He told 7News: "When you're walking around, you see things that he does here all the time and it just reminds you of him."

Upper Brookfield resident Alice Orr told ABC she heard fire engine sirens in the area early Saturday morning.

She explained: "Everyone's quite saddened by it all … you could tell, around the community it was just a lot more quiet.

"It's crazy to think it happened so quickly overnight and they're just gone."

An investigation into the causes of the fire is ongoing (7 News)

Queensland Police inspector Karl Hahne said there were a number of adults and children on the property when the fire broke out - but no kids were involved in the fire.

He said: "These scenes are always confronting and any loss of life is sad.

"To lose two people in this way, it's a very sad day."

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services acting superintendent Tim Burchmann said that fire was "coming out of all sides" of the caravan when emergency services arrived at the scene.

Officials remained at the scene on Sunday (7 News)

He said it was unclear if the caravan had a smoke detector.

Mr Burchmann told The Courier Mail: "It's very tragic, the circumstances surrounding this incident are going to hit the community very hard.

"We encourage everybody within the community to look after each other and be there and support each other."

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing and officers spoke to Mr Weiss in hospital on Sunday.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.