Overview
- The Brisbane inquest began Monday into a 2017 rural property blaze that killed one boy and severely injured his brother.
- Sergeant Peter Rumford testified he found the boys’ father standing in a shower smoking, appearing dazed and giving little information.
- Senior Constable Andrew Bell told the court the man seemed disconnected from his injured sons and suggested the children’s mother was responsible.
- Officers said the boys were screaming on a couch wrapped in towels or sheets, and one died the next day from burns to 95% of his body.
- The coroner is examining the fire’s cause, the family environment and the police response, with more witnesses scheduled this week.