The inquest into the deaths of Wayne Godinet Jr, 34, and his five sons—Zackary, 11, Harrison, 10, four-year-old twins Kyza and Koah, and three-year-old Nickolas—is set to begin in Brisbane in November. The six died of smoke inhalation when their Russell Island home caught fire in the early hours of August 2023. The children's mother, Samantha Stephenson, and her sister escaped unharmed.

At a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, counsel assisting the coroner, Corinne Leach, told the court that triple-zero callers had reported hearing frequent fighting and screaming from the home. One caller claimed "there was domestic violence in there all the time," while another said "we knew that one day they would kill these kids, but nobody has done anything." The court heard 20 calls were made to the Queensland Fire Department, and those callers will be called to give evidence. Ms Leach stated that whether domestic violence contributed to the fire would be explored at the inquest.

Separately, Deputy State Coroner Donald MacKenzie heard that the landlord had been repeatedly warned about improperly installed smoke alarms. Witnesses reported they did not hear any smoke alarms during the fire. Ms Stephenson had previously flagged the faulty alarms to the landlord, according to the court.

Ms Stephenson told investigators that she and Mr Godinet Jr had been sleeping in a makeshift entertainment area under the house the night before the fire. She recalled waking to black smoke, seeing Mr Godinet Jr run up a burning internal staircase, and then flames near a generator and workbench. She escaped outside and saw the external stairs on fire. Her sister jumped from the verandah on her instruction, but Mr Godinet Jr and the children did not emerge.

The inquest will also examine the circumstances of the fire's ignition and the adequacy of safety measures at the property.