A 61-year-old landlord has been accused of failing to install legally required smoke alarms after a house fire killed a father and five children.
The Russell Island home in Queensland burned down on 6th August 2023, killing 34-year-old Wayne Godinet and his children.
The children included three boys aged three, 11, and 10 and a pair of four-year-old twins.
The children’s mother and another woman were also in the home but managed to escape.
The fire also destroyed two neighbouring houses, and several people were treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
Police have alleged that the property owner, who was not present at the time of the fire, had not installed “compliant smoke alarms”.
Since 2022, all rental properties in Queensland must be fitted with several functioning smoke alarms.
The woman has been charged and is expected to appear in court next month. If found guilty, the maximum sentence is a fine of $770.
Smoke alarm rules vary state to state, but renters’ advocacy groups are calling for legal requirements to be tightened to ensure landlords install and regularly check smoke alarms in rentals properties.
It came after a Victorian coroner recommended law changes after a tenant died trying to escape a fire in his rental property in Alfredton last year.
At the time, it was found the unit did not have a smoke alarm installed, despite a legal requirement.
