Russell Island community grieves children killed in fatal house fire | ABC News

The flag outside Russell Island State School is flying at half-mast and touching handwritten messages on heart shaped paper adorn the fence as the community's littlest residents confront the loss of five of their friends.

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The eldest of five brothers who perished in the devastating Russell Island house fire has been described as a "very friendly young man" who was "always polite".

Eleven-year-old Zack, 10-year-old Harry, four-year-old twins Kyza and Koah, and a three-year-old Nicky all died – along with father Wayne Godinet – when their Todman Street home burnt to the ground on Sunday morning.

The boys' mother Samantha Stephenson and another woman escaped the inferno and have since been discharged from hospital.

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) yesterday said "no determination has been made at this stage" about whether the fire is suspicious or not and "some aspects" of the deadly blaze "require further investigation".

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll described the fire as "one of the largest tragedies" the state had experienced in recent years and said it required an "extremely thorough investigation".

"Literally it's a millimetre of dirt by a millimetre, it is that precise, it is that complex and that comprehensive," she said on Tuesday.

The small Russell Island community of about 3,500 people is reeling from the deaths of the six residents.

Eleven-year-old school student Charlotte Craig was friends with Zack and said the fire was "hard to process".

"He was just such a really kind person it's unbelievable that he's gone," she said speaking through tears.

"He always knew how to make me laugh, it's just unbelievable."

Zack played goalie in the under 12s Bay Islands United Football Club team and went to Russell Island State School.

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