Woman dies and man suffers serious burns in house fire in Sarina, northern Queensland

A 71-year-old woman has died in a house fire in Sarina, south of Mackay in northern Queensland.

Firefighters and emergency services were called to the tall house on Kathleen Street at around 4.25pm ​​on Sunday and found the house fully engulfed in flames.

Police said the woman was found dead inside and a man in his 40s was taken to hospital with life-threatening burns on his arms.

A crime scene has been declared and the cause of the fire is being investigated.

Firefighters treated for heat exhaustion

Queensland Fire Department acting superintendent Sven Diga said crews were able to enter the home quickly.

“They have entered through the upper level of the structure following reports of a missing person.”

A man with severe burns on his hands was outside the house when firefighters arrived.

Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion and taken to Mackay Base Hospital in a stable condition, then released.

“At this time we cannot determine the cause of the fire, but we have our fire investigator working with police forensics,” he said.