Four people hid in a bathroom before fleeing their burning home after a former partner allegedly rammed a car into the Ipswich residence in a possible murder-suicide attempt, police say.
Police said the alleged attacker, a 37-year-old under a domestic violence order in relation to one of the residents, might not survive after running from the Ipswich house still alight and collapsing on the front lawn.
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Driver sets house alight
A man allegedly uses "two cans of petrol" to set an Ipswich house alight after crashing into the garage on Monday night. 7 News Queensland
He allegedly crashed a car into the home's garage about 7.30pm on Monday before using an accelerant to set fire to the building, with three women – aged 18, 23 and 48 – and an 18-year-old man inside.
Acting Inspector Heath McQueen said the occupants barricaded themselves inside the bathroom when he crashed through the garage, before being forced to flee as the house burned around them.
"The gravity of the situation can not be understated, to be honest with you," he said.
"We're very fortunate today that we're not standing here with a much worse (situation), if you could say that, in that there could have been multiple persons deceased."
Police said the 23-year-old woman, treated in hospital for a burnt hand, had been in a previous de facto relationship with the alleged attacker.
Inspector McQueen said police were investigating whether the incident was an attempt to "significantly harm or kill the persons inside that dwelling as well as himself".
"That's something that we need to conduct further inquiries with throughout the day," he said.
He described the victims' burns as mostly minor in nature and said three of the four victims had been released from hospital.
Neighbours helped douse the alleged attacker after he ran from the house on fire.
He suffered "significant" burns to 95 per cent of his body and was rushed to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and placed in an induced coma.
Inspector McQueen said there was a possibility he could die.
Flames from the fire flickered metres above the roof and badly damaged the house, causing the second storey to collapse.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries when part of the home fell on them.
"It's a really traumatic incident for the persons that were involved in this dwelling," Inspector McQueen said.
"They're still talking to police at the moment."