Eumundi cafe Humdrum Espresso destroyed in fire

Harrowing vision has emerged of a fire that destroyed a popular cafe in Eumundi. See the video.

A bakery owner has described how he had no choice but to watch on as a massive inferno destroyed a nearby iconic cafe in Eumundi.

Hideaway Bakery owner Len Bevitt said the blaze took over Humdrum Espresso on 100 Memorial Drive in a matter of minutes.

“It got out of control fairly quickly,” he said.

Emergency and four fire crews rushed to the site near Etheridge St and Catholic Way at about 4.35am on Wednesday.

A fire started in the roof of a Eumundi cafe before destroying the property on Wednesday morning. Picture: Len Bevitt

They searched the fire-engulfed property and extinguished the blaze in just over an hour later.

Humdrum Espresso Co-Owner Marinus Jansen bought the business in May and is also the founder of Padre Coffee in Noosa which he established in 2016.

Mr Jansen said he estimates damages from the inferno to be in excess of $600,000.

“Everything is gone, its to the ground,” he said.

“The roof caved in and dropped on top of everything, we don’t think there’s anything that’s salvageable at this stage.

“We had a vintage coffee machine which is gone, all our new equipment is gone, handmade tables from Cooroy - they’re all gone.”

Mr Bevitt said he spotted the fire in the roof of the historic building about 4.25am.

“I went back out at about 4.40am and it was ablaze then,” he said.

“The fire was no longer just in the roof. It was starting to fall into the shop as well.”

“All the windows are broken, it was annihilated on the inside from what I could see.”

Helen and Jim Gray are listed as owners of the property.

It is understood the building was renovated recently.

“I dare say it’s going to be knocked down that’s for sure which is a shame,” Mr Bevitt said

“When they (the landlords) renovated it, they saved the front facade of the building because its an icon shop in the town, it’s been there for a long time.”

Mr Jansen said he had plans in the pipeline to further develop the site and extend his food and beverage offering prior to the incident.

“We worked really hard to bringing the business up and it had been going from strength to strength,” he said.

“It’s a real community place, the gardens were coming up, a beautiful courtyard with vines starting to grow over and it was just starting to take shape, so everyone is just devastated.

A fire has destroyed a popular cafe in Eumundi on Wednesday morning. Picture: Len Bevitt

“We done quite a bit to change the look and style of it. We put all new furniture in, painted everything and extended the menu a fair bit, so we were really working towards getting to the point of making it bigger.

“We were toying with plans to apply for a liquor licence down the track and doing afternoons.

“We’re just trying to work out what to do now with staff while the insurance company works out what to do with the building.”

Mr Jansen said he has been overwhelmed by the support he has received from the Eumundi community following the incident.

“It’s been absolutely incredible, everyone has contacted us to offer their sympathy, condolences, and offered to help,” he said.

“It’s a really strong community in Eumundi and its really good to have that support from them.”

Mr Jansen said an electrical fault may have triggered the blaze, but details into the cause have yet to be confirmed.

Paramedics were on standby at the scene yesterday morning and said no injuries were reported from the incident.

Fire investigators and police inquiries into the incident are ongoing.