Fire guts Qld house as owners holiday

A large Queensland family will return from a holiday to a devastating scene after their home on Brisbane's bayside was gutted by fire.

A motorist passing the property on Scenic Road, Redland Bay, called emergency services when they saw flames about 4.30am on Thursday.

It took six fire crews more than half an hour to extinguish the blaze.

Firefighters were removing parts of the roof of the two-storey brick home, which had partially collapsed, to continue an investigation into what sparked the fire.

The home will need to be demolished, Capalaba station officer Paul Omanski says.

"At this stage, we believe that the house is not occupied - the residents appear to be away on holiday," he told ABC Radio.

"We still have crews in there conducting a secondary search of the premises."

A family that includes up to eight children usually live in the house, according to the ABC.