First look inside Rent A Space units at Brookvale following fire
It has been revealed that hundreds of customers’ goods kept in the main building of Brookvale’s Rent A Space facility, which caught fire last week, have been destroyed as exclusive video shows the devastation caused inside the units.
- Self-storage fire victims desperate to salvage items
- Legal threat follows Brookvale storage facility fire
All goods stored in the main building at Rent A Space, Brookvale, have been destroyed in the fire.
Authorities and the self-storage facility’s owners have confirmed all items in close to 300 lockers have either been burned or permanently damaged by water during the four-day fight to put out the fire.
The confirmation comes as startling new images, released by NSW Fire & Rescue and Northern Beaches Police, reveal the enormous scale of the destruction inside the Cross St building.
Charred remain of customers’ personal possessions can be seen within the warped steel storage units.
Photographs taken by a drone show the badly damaged roof of the main storage building that is now under an emergency demolition order.
The images have gone public as hundreds of customers consider taking legal action to gain access to their property.
Customers are complaining that there may be lockers unaffected by the blaze, especially in adjacent storage buildings, containing another 300 lockers, within the Rent A Space complex.
In a statement, Rent A Space said that “sadly the level of damage within the main building is very significant.
“No area was untouched by the fire and the subsequent inundation with water together with the above assessment means all contents, including customer goods, were destroyed.”
Rent A Space said that independent engineers had deemed the building structurally unsound and unsafe for any person, including staff, to enter.
It said engineers found that no part of the main building had escaped damage by fire and water with all contents, including those in storage, destroyed.
Work was still underway to determine the level of damage to other buildings in the complex and their contents.
Rent A Space said it had received messages from customers asking if they could access the site.
“We understand from customer communications that some storers had treasured possessions in the main building which have much sentimental value and we’ve been asking the authorities on your behalf if there is a way that they can be salvaged.
“Unfortunately, we are advised by the authorities that nothing is salvageable, and further, it is not safe for anyone to do so.
“We’re still working with authorities, engineers and others to secure the remaining buildings, determine the level of additional damage and accurately confirm which other storage units are affected.”
Fire & Rescue said it still had control of the site until all traces of fire were out. It will then be handed over to the demolition contractors.
Police said air monitoring stations are placed in 10 locations around the site to detect traces of airborne contaminants. All readings so far have been clear.
Cross St will remain one-way, from Old Pittwater Road, until emergency services have finished their work.
Beaches council backs call to allow ‘fat bikes’ on footpaths
A proposal by a NSW parliamentary inquiry to allow e-bikes to be ridden on footpaths at up to 15km/h has been backed by Northern Beaches Council.
Push for entertainment precinct to boost night-life in seaside suburb
Music venues, eateries and bars in a northern beaches tourist hub could stay open longer if a new push to create a “special entertainment precinct’’ is successful. See what it means here.