A fire that claimed the life of a 44-year-old man at a Durack charity warehouse last Friday is now being investigated as suspicious by Queensland Police.
Emergency services responded to the blaze at Citipointe West Marketplace on Freeman Road shortly before 7am on 28 November, with flames engulfing the facility that housed community supplies and hundreds of Christmas hampers prepared for local families.
Firefighters successfully extinguished the fire during the morning, but structural safety concerns prevented police from entering the building until approximately 6pm that evening. It was then that officers made the grim discovery of human remains inside the destroyed warehouse.
The deceased has since been formally identified as a 44-year-old man. According to Acting Detective Inspector Leah Godfrey, the man was not employed at the facility and had not been reported missing prior to the discovery.
“We’re keeping a very open mind at this stage and our investigation is just progressing,” Acting Detective Inspector Godfrey told media. “We’re trying to work through everything to try and ascertain [the source of the fire].”
Police are treating the circumstances surrounding the fire as suspicious and are appealing to the community for assistance with their enquiries.
Investigators are particularly interested in any information, CCTV footage, or dashcam recordings from the early hours of Friday morning. Acting Detective Inspector Godfrey emphasised that footage captured between midnight and 6.45am on 28 November could prove vital to the investigation.
“The adjoining streets are extremely busy with cars, so we’re hopeful that maybe some member of the community has some information that can assist us,” she said.
The warehouse served as a storage facility for the community marketplace, and its destruction has resulted in the loss of supplies intended to support local residents during the Christmas period.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Queensland Police or Crime Stoppers.
Published 2-December-2025