South Hobart Tip Shop set alight in midnight blaze
Tasmania Fire Service are investigating two “suspicious” fires across the state which have caused serious damage to businesses and property. LATEST PHOTOS, VIDEO >>
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- ‘Too many grey areas’ in govt’s contact tracing plan
- Labor outlines budget reply with $15M for mature workers
TASMANIA Fire Services have responded to two fires overnight including one at the South Hobart Tip Shop which is believed to be deliberately lit.
Emergency Services were alerted to the blaze at the South Hobart Tip Shop in McRobies Gully just before 1am by a nearby resident who was woken by a “loud banging” just before midnight.
Crews from Hobart arrived to discover a large store shed at the rear of the main Tip Shop well alight.
More crews and resources from the Glenorchy and Clarence brigades later attended, using the aerial appliance to continue to help extinguish the fire.
Tasmania Police said a public tip off led to an arrest. A youth was subsequently charged in relation to the fire and “other matters”.
Tasmania Police estimate the total damage bill to be in excess of $200,000. The building was believed to be unoccupied at the time of the inferno.
The total extent of the damage is not yet known.
Molly Kendall, the co-ordinator of the South Hobart Tip Shop told Ryk Goddard’s ABC Breakfast program that the incident was “gut-wrenching” for those involved.
“Our electricals shed has been burnt – that is where we do our electrical processing and house our e-waste, and our computer testing area as well,” she said.
Ms Kendall said the “big bang” heard by nearby residents was most likely the forklift’s gas bottle exploding.
“I’m very glad no fireys were in there when that happened because that would have been very dangerous,” she said.
“It’s just gut-wrenching to see your home workplace smouldering – a very sad day for us.”
In the state’s North West, Tasmania Fire Service was alerted to a house via triple-0 at about 3:30am.
Crews remain on scene fighting to extinguish a home described by TFS as “fully alight”.
Both incidents remain under investigation.
Police confirmed the fire, which “fully engulfed the house” on Simpson St, was suspicious.
Tasmania Fire Service extinguished the fire with the house completely destroyed.
“Police would like to hear from anyone who has surveillance or CCTV footage in and around the Somerset area from around 2.50am to 3.30am, in particular any sighting of vehicles seen in the area at the time,” a statement from Burnie Crime Investigations Bureau read.
Originally published as South Hobart Tip Shop set alight in midnight blaze
Budget deficit blows out by $500m
The state budget deficit blew out by half a billion dollars in 2024/25, reaching $1.3bn — the second-worst result on record, new Treasury figures show.
Watch and Act alert for Sandy Cape Track fire
While authorities had some success in containing and controlling bushfires on Sunday, a bushfire burning on the West Coast has had its alert level upgraded. What residents should do next.