Peter Howard to reopen Rangeville Community Library after allegedly deliberate fire

A man left heartbroken after his community initiative was set alight has vowed he will not let the community suffer from a ‘senseless’ act.

A community library destroyed by fire over the weekend will be rebuilt in the coming weeks, with the driving force behind the initiative vowing not to let the alleged deliberately-lit blaze stop him.

Rangeville resident Peter Howard saw an opportunity to bring a bit of joy to the region last year, establishing the community library on Tourist Rd.

“I saw the idea somewhere, and I had a lot of books that I probably won’t read again, so I thought it was too good an opportunity,” Mr Howard said.

The Tourist Road Community Library in Rangeville was deliberately destroyed by fire over the weekend. Wednesday, January 18 2023. Picture: Supplied.

“They bought a book and took a book … it got to be working very well the past few months.”

The library, with dozens of books stacked tightly together, was destroyed by fire on Saturday morning, in an act Mr Howard believed was deliberate, with the help of a “great accelerant”.

“I (wanted) to kill them,” he said.

“It was a senseless thing to do, and extremely dangerous.

“To think there are people walking around with these accelerants … we shouldn’t have to live in cages (out of fear of what they could do).”

Determined to not let the alleged offenders get away with it, Mr Howard said he was eager to replace the damaged library.

“There’s another one already under construction, and that will go up in a few weeks and we’ll be back in business,” he said.

“My attitude is if I don't do it, they win. If I do it, the community wins.”