CBD Hotel, Newcastle: cadaver dogs to search possible remains
Cadaver dogs will be brought in to search for possible human remains in the ruins of Newcastle’s former CBD Hotel which was thought to be home to several squatters.
Newcastle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Newcastle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Pub inferno forces residents in self-isolation to flee
- COVID-19: Hunter business gets on top of virus
Cadaver dogs will be brought in to search for possible human remains in the ruins of Newcastle’s former CBD Hotel after a suspected deliberately-lit fire raged through the building on Sunday night.
Strike Force Vickery has been set up to investigate the cause of the fire, which gutted the three-storey building sold to a Sydney developer for over $5 million late last year.
The heat and concerns that the building was not structurally sound – including fears the Hunter Street facade could collapse – have kept investigators from entering the building.
A charred mess left behind, with windows blown out and glass scattered across the sidewalk, which was cordoned off by police on Monday.
Detectives strongly suspect the fire was deliberately-lit, with the prime suspects a group of squatters who had been living in the building since it was shut about eight months ago.
A local business owner told The Newcastle News the hotel “had been a cesspool of junkies for ages”.
Police suspicions were raised when it was discovered power had been cut to the building.
The investigation will centre around an argument heard between several men outside the hotel at about 5pm on Sunday.
Within a few minutes, a loud explosion was heard and the building burst into flames.
Initial concerns came after an eyewitness told police they saw four people enter the building, feared trapped inside the inferno.
A search of the ground floor by heroic fire crews as the blaze took hold failed to find any trace of anyone inside and no missing people have been reported to police.
However, cadaver dogs will be brought in to search the site and are expected to arrive on Tuesday morning to search the building for possible human remains if the site is deemed safe.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries fighting the blaze, which took several hours to extinguish.
SAD DAY
Australian Hotels Association NSW (AHA) Newcastle Hunter President Rolly De With said the circumstances surrounding the CBD Hotel have been cause for sadness long before yesterday’s fire.
“It all its forms, the venue has been an iconic part of Newcastle’s hospitality landscape for decades and when it closed its doors, we certainly lost a piece of our history,” he said.
“It’s definitely a sad day to realise the venue as we knew it, is now gone forever.”