His dad's response still haunts him more than 30 years later.
His uncle Desmond William Bemi, 59, was among five men who died in an early morning blaze at Ipswich's Oakdale Guest House, west of Brisbane, on December 29, 1990.
Ken Bemi still remembers the day he found out his uncle, Desmond William Bemi, 59, died. (HANDOUT/QUEENSLAND POLICE)
Trevor Joseph Ganter, 64, Salvatore Mario Tusa, 41, Edward Turner Boyne, 80, and Eldred Frederick Glode, 68, were the other victims of the 3am fire.
Thirty-four years later, police have offered a $500,000 reward for information in relation to the suspected arson.
Ken Bemi can still recall the morning of the fatal blaze.
"I saw the early morning news. I rang my father and said 'the Oakdale fire, Desi'," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"I'll never forget the words my father replied: 'he's gone'.
"To this day those words still haunt me."
Emotions are still raw for many of the victims' families as they seek answers.
Joseph Trevor Ganter, 64, was one of the five victims of the fire that broke in the early hours. (HANDOUT/QUEENSLAND POLICE)
"He was a valued and loved human being, and he did not deserve the end that he had," said Mr Ganter's niece Genia Otuszweski.
The fire happened after residents had a number of altercations with visitors at the guest house the previous evening, including one over the theft of a packet of cigarettes.
Queensland Police don't believe any of the victims were involved in the altercations before the blaze destroyed the historic, two-storey guest house which housed more than two dozen residents at the time.
"There were 27 men and one woman, mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds," Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell told reporters.
"The fire spread quickly through the wooden structure, causing residents to flee from the building and jump from windows to escape."
A white Holden sedan with a gold roof was seen parked near the guest house with two men running towards it away from the fire, police said.
In 1992, a 22-year-old man was charged with murder and arson following a coronial inquest but the charges were later dropped.
The blaze destroyed the historic, two-storey premises which housed more than two dozen people. (HANDOUT/QUEENSLAND POLICE)
In 2008 police offered a $250,000 reward for information.
It has now been doubled with police reviewing the case after further information suggested the fire had been deliberately lit.
Police and the victims' families urged anyone with information to come forward.
Accomplices will receive protection from prosecution through indemnity, police said.
"It is raw," Ms Otuszweski said.
"It never goes away until it's resolved and it won't be resolved until someone is brought to justice for this."
17°C