Detectives investigating a fire that claimed the lives of a father and his five sons have not identified any suspicious circumstances despite so far failing to discover the cause of the blaze.
Wayne Godinet, 34, died along with his four-year-old twins Kyza and Koa, his three-year-old son Nicky, and his stepsons Zack, 11, and Harry, 10 in an inferno at their home on Russell Island on Sunday morning.
He returned to the burning building in a bid to rescue the children but perished inside when the second storey collapsed. The blaze was so intense it destroyed three properties.
The boys’ mother, Samantha Stephenson, 28, and her step-sister Connie Campbell, 20, fled to safety and survived.
On Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for Queensland Police said they are ‘continuing to investigate the circumstances’ surrounding the devastating fire but said nothing suspicious had been found – despite extensive trawls of the ruins.
Father Wayne Godinet, 34, and his five sons (pictured) perished after they were trapped in a deadly fire on Queensland’s Russell Island
The blaze was so intense firefighters were only able to pick through the remains of the house in the late afternoon on Sunday after battling it from 6:18am
‘Extensive investigations to date have failed to identify the cause of the fire,’ the spokesperson added.
‘Despite this, no suspicious circumstances have been identified.
‘An extensive report will be prepared for the coroner now that the post-mortem examinations have been completed.’
Police appealed to the public for any information that may assist with their investigation.
While the cause remains a mystery, Daily Mail Australia witnessed police removing two charred gas cylinders from the rubble on Thursday afternoon.
The major update comes a day after around 100 of Mr Godinet’s relatives from across Australia and New Zealand paid tribute to him and his sons with a powerful Haka.
Their chants and cries filled the air of the sleepy cul-de-sac fringed with trees where just a week ago such a tragedy would have been unimaginable.
Dozens of relatives of a father who perished in a house fire with his five sons on Russell Island have paid tribute to them in a special ceremony on Thursday afternoon (pictured)
Relatives performed a Haka ceremony at the site of the fire to honour the victims’ memory
Roses and gerberas were left against a charred piece of masonry at the site of the tragedy
They gathered at the end of the quiet gravel track cul-de-sac shortly after 2pm, with many touching foreheads in a traditional Māori greeting.
Parents held their children close, while others linked arms.
Then the afternoon silence on the sleepy island was suddenly filled with the lamenting cries from a woman believed to be Mr Godinet’s mother.
Dressed in all in black and wearing dark shades, she led the mourners down under the police tape.
There they were faced with a scene of utter destruction.
A burnt-out jeep sat next to the gnarled and twisted corrugated iron roof of the Queenslander property which had been razed to the ground.
A woman, believed to be Mr Godinet’s mother, sprinkles water on the site while his father Jacob Cope watches on in tears
Staff at the island’s rural fire crew stood behind the group as some family members then performed the powerful Haka to honour Mr Godinet and his sons’ memories.
One relative placed a comforting arm over the shoulder of Mr Godinet’s father, Jacob Cope, who was dressed in a Dayboro Cowboys rugby league jersey.
The grandfather wept as a woman believed to be Mr Godinet’s mother sprinkled water around the site.
Samantha Stephenson, who lost all her children in the fire, was not in attendance.
Neighbours recalled seeing Ms Stephenson running outside screaming ‘my children, my children’ as her partner raced back into the inferno to rescue the five boys sleeping upstairs.
A heartbroken Ms Stephenson previously urged every parent to ‘check your smoke alarms and hold your babies’.
One of her sisters later attended the site to lay three roses and three gerberas against a charred piece of masonry in memory of the victims.
Moments before the grief-stricken relatives arrived, officers packed away two charred gas cylinders that had been involved in the fire in the back of a police car.
Mourners touched foreheads in a traditional Māori greeting (pictured)
Earlier in the day, detectives from Bayside CIB on the mainland combed through the ash and gathered various items which they took away in an evidence box.
One detective picked up what appeared to be a smashed plate and the fragment of a glass candle holder or vase.
The tragedy has rocked the small island community of around 3,500 people.
David Woodley, 62, who moved to Russell Island to retire 18 months ago said the last week had been ‘absolutely devastating’.
‘You can see the sad faces and sense the angst and anxiety and depression,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
Mourners hugged one another after the ceremony
Police officers packed away two charred gas cylinders that had been involved in the fire on Thursday afternoon
‘Everyone is in total shock.’
Mr Woodley dropped a bouquet of flowers off at the local police station to thank them for their work.
On Monday, police said they would not rule out foul play.
The fire was so fierce it affected three properties: razing one to the ground, gutting another and damaging a third.
Daily Mail Australia spoke to one neighbour who lives behind the property who had provided footage of the fire to police.
The children’s mother, Samantha Stephenson, 28 (right with Mr Godinet), and her half-sister, were released from hospital after they escaped the blaze
Their investigations at the scene are now over and the police tape has been removed.
But police say it could still be weeks before they can establish the cause of the fire – if at all.
It comes as police revealed autopsies have been carried out on the six victims of the tragedy.