2 Babies Among 4 Killed in ‘Traumatic’ House Fire: ‘Our Family Is Shattered’

Two babies are among four people who were killed in a house fire in Queensland, Australia.

On Thursday, Nov. 6, a young boy and girl, a teenage girl and a man died following a fire at a home in the town of Emerald, according to news.com.au and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The young children were identified as siblings Desmond, 5 months, and Maddison, 20 months, while the man was identified as Matthew Chilly, per news.com.au.

The children and Chilly were inside the home when the fire broke out at around 6:50 a.m. Two others managed to escape the blaze and were taken to the hospital, per the outlet and ABC.

Senior Sergeant Peter McFarlane told news.com.au that the survivors were suffering from psychological distress. He said the relationships between those who had died would be provided at a later time, per ABC.

When emergency services arrived at 7 a.m., neighbors were reportedly using garden hoses to try and stop the blaze, according to news.com.au. The home was found fully engulfed in flames by fire crews, per ABC.

“It’s been quite traumatic on all emergency services and obviously our priority is the families and extended families of the victims, but also emergency services workers who will require some support in coming days,” McFarlane said, per news.com.au.

“It was a very sad and tragic scene inside and outside of that fire,” he added. “We have a lot of families gathered around there, and as I said, they are very tight knit families, extended families here in Emerald, and they are gathering around to support each other.”

PEOPLE has contacted the Queensland Police Service and the Queensland Fire Department for comment.

A GoFundMe page has been created by the aunt of Desmond and Maddison’s father, Jake Symes, to raise funds for funeral expenses, per the outlet.

“It breaks my heart to be writing this. In the early hours of 6 November 2025, my nephew Jake Symes lost his entire world — his two beautiful children, Maddison (1 year, 8 months) and Desmond (5 months) — in a tragic house fire in Emerald,” the description on the page by Sally Woulfe reads.

“In one night, Jake lost everything — his babies, his home, and every belonging he owned. As a young father, he is now facing the unimaginable pain of having to lay both of his children to rest,” Woulfe adds.

“Our family is shattered. Maddison was full of life and laughter, always smiling and curious about the world around her,” Woulfe continues. “Little Desmond was a gentle, happy baby whose laughter brought light to everyone who met him. Their bond was pure love — and they were taken far too soon.”

“We are reaching out to the community for help to raise $15,000 to cover funeral expenses and to help Jake begin to rebuild his life,” the page adds. At the time of publication, the page had raised nearly $2,000 Australian dollars — around $1290.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told press on Thursday that the tragedy was “incredibly sad,” per news.com.au.

“When you deal with smaller towns, there is no doubt that those connections will be felt and the loss will be felt so deeply,” he said.

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Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. McFarlane told ABC that an e-scooter is among the lines of inquiry.