Abandoned Southport house on Eugaree St gutted by fired
AN ABANDONED Gold Coast house once earmarked for redevelopment has been gutted by fire. A neighbour has described the area as ‘hell on Earth’. SEE VIDEO OF THE BLAZE
Gold Coast
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AN ABANDONED Gold Coast house once earmarked for redevelopment has been gutted by fire.
The Eugaree St property went up in flames at 3.30pm, destroying much of the ageing dwelling’s interior.
Emergency services said there was evidence that the house had been occupied by squatters.
“We believe squatters have been living here…two people where seen leaving the property not too long after the fire started,” said Senior Constable Brendon Kelly.
“The inside of the house is just filled with rubbish and there is asbestos throughout the house.”
The front room of the house was completely destroyed by the fire.
“We received multiple calls from residents around 3.30pm,” Southport Fire Station officer Larry Gray said.
“No occupants where there at the time but there is evidence that people have been living in the house and the sheds behind.
“We haven’t determined how the fire started yet.’
The house was bought in 2016 for $1.2 million by Jtld Ool Investments.
Neighbouring residents say the street has become a problem.
Eyvonne Gate, 88, has lived across the street from the abandoned home for 60 years.
She said the last two years had been a nightmare for her as she says she’s had to call the police at least 100 times.
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“I can’t sleep at night. It’s made the last two years hell on earth,” she said.
“The police are marvellous but they can’t be there all the time.
“I had extremely high water bills as they used to steal water from my taps every day.
“I had to get a plumber out to cut my taps off my house.
“I often get woken at night because of screaming and yelling. They’ve even thrown golf balls at my house on multiple occasions.”
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