Buderim fire takes hold in Price Lane garage as resident tries to extinguish it

A man who has faced a sewage overflow throughout his home and a prostate cancer diagnosis is now assessing his losses after a massive blaze threatened their Buderim home.

A Buderim man taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after desperately trying to save his tools says he’s “gutted” after a massive blaze threatened to engulf his family home.

Sandy Shaw, 57, was at his Price Lane home when the fire began in the garage about 6pm on June 6, 2022.

Mr Shaw said he tried to put it out with fire extinguishers and the neighbour’s hose but it took hold too quickly.

“It was unbelievable how quick it took hold,” he said.

“The fireys turned up fairly quickly.”

Sandy Shaw is gutted following a garage fire at his home on July 6, 2022.

He said without their rapid response, his family may have lost the whole house.

Mr Shaw was taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital by the Queensland Ambulance Service and treated for smoke inhalation before being released about 1am on July 7, 2022.

Investigations continue into the cause of a fire in Price Lane in Buderim. The aftermath on July 7, 2022.

The house belongs to his 94-year-old mum and Mr Shaw had moved in about six years ago to care for her and his now dead father.

Mr Shaw said the house was being renovated after sewage had backed up and overflowed throughout the home during the rain bomb in late February and early March, 2022, when the blaze ignited.

He said tradies working on the home lost power and when he went around to investigate the cause he saw smoke coming from the garage.

He said all his tools were also in the garage.

A garage fire at Price Lane in Buderim on July 6, 2022.

In another health blow, Mr Shaw said he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was starting radiation treatment in a couple of weeks.

Investigations are continuing into the cause of the fire.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services fire investigator Ash Dickson said the fire in Price Lane took firefighters a couple of hours to put out.

“The fire crew has done a great job of stopping the fire from getting into the residential property,” he said.

Investigations continue into the cause of a fire in Price Lane in Buderim. The aftermath on July 7, 2022.

The investigator said the double bay garage was full of machinery including welding equipment, multiple cylinders including LPG, generators and refrigerators, which are all explosive in a fire.

He said the firefighters gained access through a roller door at the front of the garage.

Neighbour Robert Armstrong said his wife smelt something about 6pm and then heard the sirens from the fire crews.

“My wife opened up the curtains and there was a huge amount of flames coming up quite high,” he said.

“The flames were about five or six metres tall.”

He said he was worried for his neighbour, who he knew was there at the time of the fire, and said he was relieved to see him outside the property.

Mr Armstrong also said he was worried for his own property when he saw the height of the flames.

Originally published as Buderim fire takes hold in Price Lane garage as resident tries to extinguish it