Old Pittwater Rd, Brookvale: Fire destroys historic auto repairer and gymnastics academy
Business owners have expressed their devastation after an inferno engulfed several warehouses including one of the oldest auto repair shops on the northern beaches. See the video.
Manly
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Devastated business owners have spoken of their heartbreak after a suspicious fire that tore through a Brookvale warehouse complex.
Hart’s Automotive Services — which has been on the northern beaches since 1928 — was wiped out in the Monday night blaze at 106 Pittwater Rd.
Flames also left part of the Smoothmoves furniture removals and storage premises in ruins.
And the neighbouring Academy of Acrobatics and Gymnastics International — which trains 300 children — was gutted by the fire that began about 6.40pm.
Academy staff safely ushered several children from the building when they smelled smoke. Minutes later they saw flames in the building’s roof.
Police confirmed they were treating the fire as suspicious and that a crime scene had been established at the complex.
On Tuesday afternoon Fire and Rescue NSW was were still working to put out dangerous fire hot spots in the complex as smoke wafted over the Brookvale industrial estate.
It was also too dangerous for police and Fire and Rescue investigators to get into the building to work out the cause of the blaze.
Fire and Rescue spokesman Adam Dewberry said the heat severely cracked the two-storey brick walls and it could collapse at any time.
“The area around the building is locked down and is a restricted access zone,” Supt Dewberry said.
“Investigators are not able to get into the building yet. It’s too dangerous.
“A number of businesses are still not able to trade today.
“It is still an active crime scene at this stage.”
Supt Dewberry said drones were being used to guide firefighters to the hot spots still burning beneath the rubble and wreckage.
Outside the Hart’s Automotive workshop on Tuesday, its office manager Melanie Abbott, said the Hart family, headed by Graham Hart, and its employees, had been left devastated.
“They are the fourth generation to run the business,” Ms Abbott said.
“They started out on Condamine St at Manly Vale, near where the Harvey Norman store is now.”
Ms Abbott said the family had three valuable private vehicles in the workshop at the time of the fire, including a rare Ford pick-up truck and a high-powered Ford sedan as well as a Mitsubishi Lancer “EVO”.
“I’ve got a long list of customers’ vehicles in there too,’’ she said.
Agi Sajgal and her husband Attila Janda, the owners of the gymnastics academy, were staying in the Blue Mountains, celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, when they answered a phone call on Monday night. telling them the business was on fire.
Ms Sajgal, who lives at Warriewood and is the academy’s head coach, opened its doors in 2011. She helps train 300 children, many of whom compete in artistic and acrobatic gymnastic competitions.
“One of our coaches called us to tell us there was a fire in the roof of the building,” she said.
“It was terrible. I don’t know yet if and when we can reopen here.”
Ms Sajgal said she had received calls from other gymnastic centres on the northern beaches, offering space for her competitors to train.
“They have been fantastic. We are so grateful.”
On Monday night, 16 fire engines, including three aerial and ladder appliances, and more than 50 firefighters were called in to fight the “fourth alarm” blaze.
Neighbouring residents have been warned to stay indoors to avoid potentially dangerous smoke and fumes.
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