Windaroo fire: Police probe suspicious blaze at Black Canvas barbershop
A Logan shopping centre has been devastated by the second fire in two years, believed to have started in an alleged bikie-linked barbershop.
Police & Courts
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A massive blaze tore through an alleged bikie-linked barbershop at Logan at the weekend, also gutting a chemist and bakery.
The blaze is believed to have started at the Black Canvas Barbershop on Carl Heck Boulevard, Windaroo, just after 10.30 on Saturday night.
Firefighters rushed to the scene but were unable to save many of the shops.
At least seven crews were required to contain the blaze, with residents watching in horror as the fire lit up the night sky.
Hours later, firefighters were still damping down the site.
Police are investigating the cause of the fire and said initial findings suggest the blaze started in the barbershop.
Alleged Mongols bikie Harley Barbaro has been linked to the shop – he was pictured at its opening late last year, and his lawyers at the time said he worked for the Black Canvas Barbershop in Brisbane’s Carina.
Shop owners crowded around the cordoned-off section on Sunday morning, saying they had been impacted twice by “devastating” fires.
Anil Balia and his wife Meeta have owned the local newsagency for the past two-and-a-half years. Their store is directly next to the barbershop.
“I got a call saying the whole place is on fire,” Mr Balia said.
“It’s just devastating, this is the second time it’s happened within two years.”
He said the shopping centre was a mess, and that he has also been impacted by break-and-enters over the past few years.
Mr Balia expects it will be at least a month before they can begin trading again.
“We are right next to the store where the fire started,” he said.
“We are just hoping for the best. It’s just heartbreaking that it’s happened again and again.
“It’s not doing any good for us health wise and stress. We are just recovering from the stress over the last couple of years and then this happened.”
Police were unable to comment on exactly how the fire may have started, due to ongoing investigations, but said arson was the suspected cause.
Broncos player Tevita Pangai Jr was embroiled in controversy last August for attending the opening of the barbershop when he should have been in strict lockdown after playing Souths in Sydney the night before.
He was stood down for breaching strict COVID-19 bio-bubble protocols.
The barbershop was raided by police on its opening day, where Pangai was among patrons on the premises.
The search did not uncover any illegal activity, nor was Pangai Jr accused of any unlawful actions.
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