Old house on Sheridan St, Cairns North, destroyed by fire
Fire investigators and police are sifting through the ashes of a Cairns North house in a bid to determine the cause of a huge blaze which gutted the property overnight. SEE THE VIDEO
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UPDATE: Fire investigators and police are sifting through the ashes of a Cairns North house in a bid to determine the cause of the blaze which gutted it last night.
Fire crews took almost 2 hours to bring the fire under control at the two storey Queenslander on Sheridan St after being called there about 8.45pm.
The property is believed to be abandoned and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Insp Steve Tognolini said power was cut to the premises prior to their arrival.
He said it was “fully involved” when their crews arrived.
The property and neighbouring vacant block are the subject of a development application submitted to Cairns Regional Council in July 2019 for an eight storey residential tower and hotel.
It was proposed by Chinese owned company Billion Century Group and designed to have a “tropical urban” theme but despite council officers recommending its approval there has been no progress on the site.
Police are yet to say whether the fire is being considered suspicious but it is understood there had previously been reports of squatters.
EARLIER: Firefighters have battled to contain a house fire on Sheridan St, Cairns North, after the timber building burst into flames.
The abandoned highset Queenslander-style house between Lily and Smith streets was well alight by the time Queensland Fire and Emergency Service crews arrived.
City-bound traffic on Sheridan St was rerouted at the Lily St intersection.
The fire started about 8.45pm on Sunday night.
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A dousing with water by firefighters did little to bring the blaze under control and it was clear the house had been totally destroyed.
The heat of the blaze could be felt from the street as police worked to move onlookers a safe distance from the inferno.
It was unclear if the building contained any occupants but Queensland Ambulance Service was standing by at the scene.
A resident living next door to the burning house, Josh Seymour, was shocked to see the neighbouring property erupt in flames.
“I just walked outside and the house was on fire,” he said.
“It was a little bit of a surprise.”
A QFES spokeswoman confirmed the house was fully alight when crews arrived.
She said it was believed the property was not occupied at the time of the blaze.
“We received multiple triple-0 calls,” she said.
“A fire investigation unit will be investigating.”
The cause of the blaze was unknown.
Originally published as Old house on Sheridan St, Cairns North, destroyed by fire
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