Man dead after suspicious north Queensland fire
Richard Dinnen - Queensland Editor |
A man has died of injuries he sustained in a suspicious house fire in Ayr in north Queensland on August 9.
The man’s partner, a 47-year-old woman, died in hospital several hours after the fire. The man, 65, was being treated for serious injuries in a Brisbane hospital, where he died yesterday.
A murder investigation is underway, and police believe the fire was deliberately lit.
Police said the woman had been protected by a domestic violence order since 2018, but the couple had continued to live together.
The Queensland Police Ethical Standards Command will review previous dealings with the couple.
Police said they had been called to the home many times before, including a call to the property less than four hours before the fire.
Police and ambulance crews responded at 2.15 on the morning of the fire on a “mental health matter”. The fire was reported at 5.40am.
Ethical Standards Command investigators will complete a report for the coroner into both deaths and will review the police interaction with the couple on the morning of the fire.
