CHILDERS — 2000 · Murder
The Childers Backpackers Hostel Fire
At about 00:30 on 23 June 2000 fire broke out in a backpackers' hostel housed in the former Palace Hotel in the Queensland town of Childers. Starting in the ground-floor recreation room, it spread rapidly up the walls and stairwell; a power failure and the absence of fire alarms and emergency lighting hampered escape. Of the 88 people staying in the building that night, 15 died; they were travellers from the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland, Japan and South Korea, most of them working in seasonal farm jobs. Investigators found the fire had been lit deliberately and a man was arrested. In 2002 he was convicted of arson and of murder on two counts, brought over only two of the deaths to expedite proceedings, and sentenced to life imprisonment. It was Australia's deadliest mass killing since Port Arthur.
- Date
- 2000
- Place
- Queensland, Australia, Childers, AU
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- -25.2370, 152.2780 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 23 June 2000Fire broke out after midnight at the Childers hostel; 15 people died.
- June 2000Police determined the fire was deliberately lit and arrested a suspect.
- March 2002He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
- June 2020Survivors and families marked the 20th anniversary.
Sources
- BBC News — Australia condemns hostel fire killer news.bbc.co.uk ↗
- ABC News — Childers hostel fire survivors reflect on 20-year anniversary abc.net.au ↗
- Wikipedia — Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire en.wikipedia.org ↗
- BBC News
- ABC News (Australia)
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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Categories
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.