Fire Department to plead guilty over failures during fatal blaze

The Queensland Fire Department will plead guilty to having failed radio communications during a fire south of Brisbane that took the life of one its firefighters and seriously injured another.

Izabella Nash died in hospital in 2023 after suffering critical injuries while fighting a warehouse fire in Slacks Creek in May 2023, while her colleague Lia Drew suffered major burns to her hands and arms.

Thirteen crews had been required to fight the late night blaze. Nash, who was 46, was the first Queensland firefighter to die in the line of duty in more than two decades.

In April 2025, prosecutors from Work Health and Safety took action against the department in relation to alleged radio failures at the scene.

A QFD spokesperson said the department would plead guilty to the charge on Friday.

“To be clear, it is not alleged that such failures caused the death of Izzy or the injury to Lia,” they said.

QFD Commissioner Steve Smith said the department had implemented every recommendation of a Structural Firefighting Action Plan following the incident.

“Since the incident, the Queensland Fire Department has undertaken substantial work to strengthen structural firefighting safety,” he said.

“We have delivered additional state-of-the-art rapid intervention equipment, and modern training in firefighter self-rescue and rapid intervention operations.”

Nash’s death shook the department, and her farewell at the Nissan Arena in Nathan was attended by hundreds of officers.

A First Class Firefighter, Nash was remembered as a committed officer who was passionate about her work.

“She was the first up, hands on the gear, and would always take juniors under her wing,” station officer Fiona Rose said at the memorial.

“No one here would disagree that her thirst for knowledge was unrelenting.”

A sentencing date for the Workplace Heath and Safety matter had not yet been confirmed.