Clarence Valley Imaging to permanently close after fire

The manager of a Clarence Valley medical imaging centre which was destroyed in a fierce fire late last year has made a big announcement about the centre’s future.

The Clarence Valley Imaging building as it stands in April 2024. Picture: Google Maps.

A Clarence Valley medical business which was destroyed in a fierce blaze is permanently closing its doors.

Qscan Group regional manager KElly Wyatt has confirmed the permanent closure of Maclean’s Clarence Valley Imaging, a medical imaging clinic.

On November 16 2023, a blaze ripped through the premises which sit between the Maclean council chambers and the ambulance station at 52 River St, Maclean.

Approximately 50 people were evacuated while firefighters stopped the flames from spreading to nearby structures as thick black smoke billowed from the building.

Firefighters outside the Clarence Valley Imaging building in Maclean.

At the time, Clarence Valley councillor Debrah Novak described the fire as marking “another sad day for Maclean and another sad day for the Clarence Valley”.

“There’s been three fires in Maclean in the past 10 years and this is the third one in the Clarence Valley in the past year,” she said.

“It sure keeps our fire brigades on their toes.”

The thick smoke was seen throughout Maclean. Picture: Fire and Rescue NSW Station 306 Grafton.

Qscan Group’s chief operating officer Matthew Bellairs confirmed the landlord that owns the clinic’s former site had advised they were not going to rebuild.

“We are sad to have lost a beautiful clinic in a vibrant local community,” he said.

It is understood Qscan Group — the medical imaging business who owned the practice — have been working with insurance providers in the months following the fire.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to the local community for the outpouring of support we have received since the fire,” Ms Wyatt said.

“Our referring practitioners and patients have been extremely gracious and understanding and we know that the clinic will be missed.”

The building was more than a century old and is understood to have historical significance.

Residents in need of medical imaging can still go to Maclean Hospital, which bulk bills, as well as the Grafton branch of Clarence Valley Imaging.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.