Police suspect an arsonist is behind three fires that broke out in quick succession in Brisbane's inner-city suburb of Highgate Hill, with residents inside a home and a unit block when the separate fires started.
Emergency services were called to the first incident at 9:30pm, where a house on Franklin Street in Highgate Hill was on fire.
A short time later crews were called to another fire at a home on the same street.
While at the scene, a third fire was reported at a unit block on Hampstead Road, around the corner from Franklin Street.
Acting detective inspector Denis Silk said the first house that caught fire was the worst blaze of the three.
The house was under renovation.
"The poor people have got to start again with their renovations because inside sustained some fairly significant damage," Inspector Silk said.
When the second fire erupted a few moments later, the residents managed to start putting out the blaze.
"Luckily the residents were awake for that and were able to put it out before any real damage was sustained," he said.
The third fire was lit in a carport underneath a block of units, around the corner from the first two fires.
Several cars were set alight and damaged.
"Luckily it was only the vehicles and the carport [damaged], the residents have seemed to escape relatively unscathed," he said.
Unit block started shaking
Manoah Malluri lives in the Hampstead Road unit block with his pregnant wife.
He said they were watching a movie and felt the unit shaking.
Mr Malluri thought the neighbours were having a party and went to look out the window.
"I saw all the fumes, orange fumes and flames all over and a big fire and I was like 'no, we are in danger'," he said.
"I just got my neighbour, tried to alert him and then I just got out."
Adrienne Innes lives next door to the unit block on Hampstead Road.
She had only gone to bed when she heard neighbours making a commotion.
"It sounded to me like they were saying 'I'm on fire', but I believe they were saying 'there's a fire, there's a fire' and they were right — there was a fire.
"It was well ablaze and the bricks, even after the fire brigade left, the bricks were still smoking, there was just so much heat."
Manoah Malluri's silver VW Golf was destroyed.
"Life is precious," he said.
"You have to first save your life and then everything [else] is materialistic.
"It's hard but you just have to deal with it because you have your life, which is more important.
He has branded anyone responsible for the fire as "idiots".
"If someone is doing that, they are stupid, they are maniacs." he said.
The three sites have been declared crime scenes.
Inspector Silk said the possibility of the fires being linked was a "decent working theory given the proximity and the times".
