Businessman Danny Bhandari’s Centennial Park mansion had been on the market for $13.5m
A multi-millionaire who was once embroiled in a Cricket NSW scandal has lost his Sydney mansion in a blaze that firefighters were still trying to put out this morning.
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A luxury mansion destroyed by fire on Wednesday night had been on the market for $13.5 million.
Police are investigating the cause of the blaze, which took 80 firefighters several hours to control.
The five-bedroom home, located within a prestigious enclave of Centennial Park, was owned by Tibra Capital co-founder Danny Bhandari’s wife Anita.
It was bought in 2009 for $8 million, according to property listings.
Sotheby’s International Realty in Double Bay had the property listed for sale for $13.5 million but it is now believed to have been taken off the market following the blaze.
Firefighters who were called to the property about 8.30pm and battled the blaze for hours but failed to save the home.
Detectives were outside the home on Thursday morning as fire crews used a cherrypicker to continue hosing down the remains of the home.
No one was inside at the time of the fire, with firefighters in breathing masks sent in to search the house.
Nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution, with neighbours lining the footpath in robes as they watched the drama unfold.
Fire and Rescue NSW Acting Superintendent Nick Andronicos said he would keep crews at the house most of the day.
Mr Andronicos said they required cherry pickers to fight the very “intense” blaze, with the structure too unsafe to send crews in.
“It is such a large place,” he said.
The residence, designed by Tobias Partners, had five bedrooms, a gym, yoga room and pool.
Although the cause of the fire is unknown, those familiar with the property have said it was a “hi-tech house” with a lot of electrical wiring.
Mr Bhandari, who is a board member of Venues NSW, is best known for featuring on the BRW Young Rich List.
He co-founded investment firm Tibra, and is set to speak at StartCon, promoted as “Australia’s largest start-up and growth conference”, later in November.
He also made headlines in 2018 for stepping down from the board of Cricket NSW after a grade cricket judiciary found he had made physical contact with an opponent in a second-grade cricket match.