The Isis Shire Mayor, Bill Trevor, told reporters that the hostel was not razed to the ground, and that victims either got out alive or did not get out at all.

Of the 70 guests who survived the fire, 10 suffered minor burns and injuries as they tried to escape from the upper level and by jumping onto the roofs of neighbouring buildings.

[7] Identification of the deceased was hampered due to an incomplete hostel register that recorded check-ins but not departures, and because most of the residents' passports were destroyed or damaged by the fire.

[10] Robert Paul Long, a fruit picker, had moved into the hostel on 24 March 2000 but had been evicted on 14 June over $200 in rent arrears.

[7] In March 2002, Long was found guilty of two charges of murder (for the dead Australian twins) and arson and sentenced to life in prison.

Media, politicians, and investigators came to the site as well and Princess Anne visited on 2 July to meet the surviving backpackers and others involved in the disaster.

A survivor told reporters he read the fire notes on the wall, which showed the best escape route, but could barely make it 10 metres to a balcony.

[13] When it was announced that the coroner had decided not to lay criminal charges for negligence against the owner and operators of the hostel, families of seven victims vowed to launch a class action suit against the previously mentioned individuals.

[6] Australian country singer and songwriter Darren Coggan, who was touring nearby, composed a dedication song, Spirit of the Free,[18] shortly after visiting the town a week after the fire.

Trevor negotiated to rebuild the Palace in its rebuilt 1903 style as a memorial for those affected by the fire[11] after plans to purchase the Isis Cultural Centre fell through.

[19] Queensland artist Sam Di Mauro made a 7.7 metre (25 foot) 1.5 tonne glass memorial wall that was lowered through the roof into the new building.

"[22] On 26 October 2002, the renovated structure, the Palace Memorial Building, opened and was attended by some 250 invited guests, including members of 12 of the families of those who died.