Gnowangerup fire: Two people dead in ruins of house blaze as investigations into cause continue

A second body has been found in the wreckage of a home destroyed by fire, in a tragic 48 hours that has left the Gnowangerup community reeling. Detectives found the body of a second person at about noon on Friday, one day after a body was recovered from the property. The remains are believed to be that of long-time Gnowangerup residents husband and wife Allan and Sandra Fuller, who owned the home on House Street. Firefighters rushed to the property in the Great Southern town not long after receiving a triple-0 call about 3.07am and police have revealed that three teenage neighbours tried desperately to fight the blaze and alert the couple. Speaking on Friday after the latest discovery, Acting Det-Sgt Lincoln East confirmed the news that a second body had been found in the ruins of the burnt-out home. “We can confirm a second body has been located within the scene,” Det-Sgt East said. “The body was not located in the same room as the first and the identification of the two bodies is not yet known. “The identification process is ongoing and we are in communications with family of the house occupants. “They are supporting us in the process of identifying the two persons. “The two people that reside at that address were in their 60s and have been members of the Gnowangerup community for a long time.” Earlier on Friday, neighbours began laying flowers at the scene and paying tribute to the much-loved Gnowangerup couple. Shattered neighbour Kelly Bardon was one of the first people at the scene of the blaze and said they did all they could to help the occupants of the house. “We woke up to the flames and ran around banging on the doors and windows to try and wake them up,” Ms Bardon said. “We couldn’t get them to wake up and couldn’t believe the sheer heat from the flames. “We can not believe this happened in our town let alone our next-door neighbour.” Det-Sgt East said the traumatic circumstances will have a profound effect on the local community. “This is a tragic event that will ripple through the community of Gnowangerup,” he said. “The two occupants of the residence where the two bodies were found were much-loved members of the community and will be sorely missed. “Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of the community who will suffer as a result of this loss.” He also extended his gratitude to the members of the community who helped during the fire. “We would particularly like to thank the 13, 14 and 18-year-olds who are local members of the community here who offered assistance at the time of the infancy of the fire (but) attempts to extinguish it were unsuccessful,” he said. “They made every effort possible to make it into the premises and try and rescue the people that were inside.” Police say the cause of the blaze is still under investigation but it is not thought to be deliberate. “The cause is unknown at this stage, however it has been declared non-suspicious by the WA police arson squads,” Det-Sgt East said. “At this stage the arson squad will prepare a report based on their observations of the scene before we can determine the cause and the time of the ignition.” The investigation was made more difficult because of asbestos in the house. “The arson squad’s investigations were delayed due to the level of asbestos on the premises,” Det-Sgt East said. “When working with asbestos, appropriate proper personal protective equipment is required which we did not have on hand at the time. “A full arson squad unit arrived this morning with full PPE to conduct a full examination of the premises. “The shire has been notified about the asbestos risk and they will take control of containing that risk.” A report will be prepared for the Coroner.