The family that lost 11 members in Queensland's horrific house fire is mired in its darkest days, a relative says.
Jeremiah Lale, a first cousin to those who died, and the nephew of a survivor who shares the same name, spoke on behalf of the family.
Alongside him sat his older namesake, who lost his wife and five children in the blaze at Slacks Creek south of Brisbane, early on Wednesday.
The six were among 11 members of the family, spanning three generations, who died.
"We'd like to start off with the tragic events that happened on that dreadful night, it was definitely the darkest hour our family has ever had to endure," the younger Mr Lale told reporters.
He broke down as he began to tell of the horror of that night.
Mr Lale said his uncle had been living in the home for two months because his Aunty Neti had wanted to look after her two sisters, who needed around the clock medical care.
One had chronic diabetes and the other was on kidney dialysis, he said.
"She would do so on top of caring for five children," he said.
"On the night of the fire ... Uncle `Miah and the family had made solid plans to move out the very next day.
"They'd been successful in obtaining a rental property which was nearby the Kingston house.
"As they celebrated on that evening the children were rejoicing and happy that they had found a place that they were able to reside in and get some normality back into their lives.
"But on that dreadful evening, the good Lord had plans for our family."
Another cousin, Betsy Neal, said the family couldn't express their heartbreak and urged assembled reporters to be careful with the words they used when reporting the fire.
"It's still very, very raw for us," she said.
"It was just the worst call you ever get.
"We just pray that nobody ever has to experience that."
The younger Mr Lale told of his uncle's desperate fight to save his family after he heard their screams in the dark, smoke-filled house.
He said his uncle had rushed to the room where he'd told his wife to gather the kids, but they were not there.
He ran through the house trying to find them, but could not, and the screaming had stopped.
The older Mr Lale told how he leapt from a second storey window when the cries fell silent, believing his family had made it out ahead of him.
"There was nothing I could do inside the house, the fire and the smoke," the grieving father and husband said.
"I keep calling my wife's name, my boys, my girls, no one answered.
"At that time, I thought to myself they are already outside. They've jumped from the window.
"I ran calling my wife and my kids - no one there.
"No one answers and I realised that at that time my wife and my kids, they can't make it."
"If I knew my wife and kids not outside the house, there's no way I'm going to leave them in there. I'm going to stay inside the house with them.
"My wife, she took all my kids and leave me behind."
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