General News
28 November, 2025
To hell and back
AN 83-year-old pensioner doesn’t know if she can handle much more after being severely injured during Cyclone Jasper flooding, followed by a fire in her unit, a vicious dog attack on her beloved pet and a robbery.
Kay (surname withheld for safety reasons), who survived a late-night unit fire, says she is still recovering from severe burns and the loss of all her possessions, following a sequence of devastating events that began with flooding during Cyclone Jasper.
The woman, who is currently living in temporary accommodation, says her service dog Lily also suffered burns in the blaze.
Kay told Cairns Local News she had only been in Cairns a short time before the fire, after being “washed out” of her eldest son’s Daintree rainforest property during torrential rain.
“My eldest son’s place in the Daintree rainforest … the embankment went down 50 feet. I fell 30 feet myself,” she said.
Kay suffered multiple injuries, including broken hands, a damaged shoulder, a torn neck nerve and severe knee damage requiring a replacement. She spent four months in hospital before entering public housing accommodation.
After leaving the hospital, she said she had nowhere to stay and lived at the Country Women’s Association (CWA) for two to three months.
When she reached Cairns, her dog Lily was attacked by a pit bull, suffering extensive injuries.
“The pitbull ripped her guts open. $12,000 later,” Kay said. The owners did not contribute to costs. Lily later lost an eye, her teeth and developed an infection.
Kay said she was later burgled while living on Charles Street. She reported that her belongings, including her late husband’s war medals from his service in Papua New Guinea in WWII, were taken.
“They put the hose through the window onto the television … and stole all my boxes, medals, everything,” Kay said.
Kay then moved into public housing in Gelling Street in late February. She described the unit as being in poor condition.
“It was awful, blood everywhere,” she said, adding that nearly $3000 in repairs were required.
Kay said she had noticed suspicious behaviour in the weeks leading up to the fire, including seeing the same man coming and going from the property.
“A week before the fire, I saw this bloke … watering the garden for hours,” she said.
She also said her hose fittings disappeared, leaving her without a way to douse a fire.
On the night of the blaze, Kay said she was woken twice by Lily. At 4am, when she opened the door. “Boom, the fire exploded.”
She said the fire began under the building before rising rapidly through the structure.
“I tried to throw a bucket of water, but whatever the fuel was, it exploded again,” she said.
She suffered burns to her neck and back while escaping with Lily.
She said clothing soaked in accelerant had been placed around the unit.
“Clothing, men’s T-shirts, were placed all around the property,” she said.
Police later told her the material was impregnated with lighter fluid.
Five fire crews responded and all the residents escaped. Kay said one of the upstairs neighbours was scorched but not seriously injured. She was the only person treated for burns.
Kay lost almost all her possessions in the fire, except for a soldier statue gifted to her by the Australian Defence Force in honour of her late veteran husband.
She said she believed the person responsible was linked to previous incidents in Charles Street, including the dog attack and the robbery.
Support has come from organisations, including Victims of Crime, which provided immediate assistance with basic household items in her new rented place.
Kay said Legacy members had been in contact with her.
FNQ Legacy acting executive officer Melanie Allen said FNQ Legacy had been providing extensive support to Kay.
"FNQ Legacy was in regular contact with Kay before and after the recent fire and visited her new residence less than a week after the fire, providing a television and radio to help her get back on her feet and assist in her recovery," she said.
"Our wellbeing officer engages with Kay weekly through phone communication and social events.
"FNQ Legacy acknowledges the traumatic events that Kay has been through and will continue to provide support into the future."
Kay, who has lost all her writing, possessions and long-kept archives, said she was still trying to piece together her life after the fire.
A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said investigations into the Gelling Street fire remain ongoing.
“Investigators continue to appeal to anyone with information to contact police quoting QP2501269645,” she said.
Kay reported that the disability lift in her Gatton Street building stopped working, temporarily preventing her from leaving her unit.
She said the lift had malfunctioned at least three times since she moved in and that children had been seen using the controls before the breakdown.
The lift was repaired the same day, but Kay said the outage raised concerns, particularly given the complex’s previous fire evacuations.
A Department of Housing and Public Works spokeswoman said individual tenant matters could not be discussed for privacy reasons.
Still, the department “continues to work with all customers to address maintenance needs for social housing properties,” she said.
The spokeswoman said that in the event of a lift malfunction, QBuild raised an urgent work order so a technician could attend the site as soon as possible, with repairs prioritised accordingly.
Housing Service Centres also carry out welfare checks on tenants to ensure their safety and comfort during these periods.
