Bellerive vet clinic gutted by fire sets up new home in nearby Mornington

Just one month after a Bellerive vet clinic was gutted by fire, staff and vets have set-up a new temporary space for the care of four-legged friends. How the rebuild is progressing.

Fire at Tasmanian Veterinary Hospitals Bellerive. Picture: Caroline Tan

An Eastern Shore veterinary clinic gutted by fire in early February has found a new temporary home for its furry patients, with renovations on the original clinic predicted to take at least another year.

Flames spread from a roof fire at the Tasmanian Veterinary Hospital’s (TVH) Bellerive Clinic on February 4, with no animals inside the clinic at the time of the fire.

Fire at Tasmanian Veterinary Hospitals Bellerive. Picture: Caroline Tan

The clinic at the time estimated around $1m in damages by the fire, with TVH co-owner Dr Gareth Stephenson stating the full impact is still being assessed by insurers.

“We don’t actually know what the damages are,” he said.

“The insurers are still assessing the damage, and the fire has done more damage than we originally stated.

“We have to rebuild everything, but insurers are still trying to decide whether it is worth bulldozing the entire building or saving it and reinforcing the structure.”

The Bellerive clinic and its 60 employees have found a new temporary home in Mornington in the former space for the old RSPCA dog home and Thylacine Lutruwita clinic.

Dr Gareth Stephenson with Maltese Tilly at Tasmanian Veterinary Hospital Bellerive which celebrates its 40th anniversary this weekend. Picture: Linda Higginson

Dr Stephenson said many of its small procedures and general check-ups would be conducted in the new space from Tuesday while major surgeries were currently running from the AHVEC clinic and at TVH’s Sorell and Kingston hospitals.

While Dr Stephenson said the earliest reopen time would be around a year away, he stated staff were “holding up well”.

“It’s remarkable really how well all of the staff have reacted and kept going,” he said.

“They have been so supportive and have been so proactive in going to other clinics and helping to reorganise a new space to run the Bellerive clinic.”

The same number, email and staff will be present at the Pass Road location, which will open on Tuesday, March 11, open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8am to 6pm and 9am to 6pm on Wednesdays.

Police and the Tasmania Fire Service determined the fire was not suspicious.

Originally published as Bellerive vet clinic gutted by fire sets up new home in nearby Mornington