‘Disgusting’: Flint House residents left homeless after fire

Dozens of vulnerable people are sleeping on make-shift beds after fire tore through the Flint House and they had to leave temporary acommodation after causing damage. LATEST UPDATE >>

Dozens of vulnerable people have been forced to sleep on makeshift beds after a fire tore through the Flint House on Monday night.

A spokesperson from the Travelodge Hobart said 27 displaced residents stayed two nights at the hotel following the devastating blaze, but reportedly caused damage in some of the rooms.

The group checked out on Wednesday morning with no alternative accommodation to go to.

The manager of the Flint House, Chris Croft, said that during the stay at Travelodge some of the residents were bad behaved, but a spokesperson from the hotel claimed their actions hadn’t influenced the check out time of their original booking arranged through organisations Anglicare and Colony 47.

flint house fire

“There has been a few bad eggs amongst the people who have been displaced,” said manager Chris Croft.

“Travelodge has sustained a little bit of damage and reported a few disturbances as a result of the behaviour of a few residents,”

After scrambling for hours to find somewhere suitable for residents to relocate to, Mr Croft said their team had resorted to setting up make-shift beds in the Flint House’s secondary building that stands beside the main building that was damaged by fire.

“We’ve supplied them with mattresses and bedding, and we’ll have barbecue breakfasts and dinners for them, it’s the best we can really do right now.”

“They’ve got access to power and a shower, and the two couples that have children were both placed in alternative accommodation.”

Mr Croft said he hopes all the residents can be welcomed back to the adjacent building which was unaffected by the blaze within the next three days once power has been restored to the entire property.

flint house fire

Carer Troy Hancock said he thought it was ‘disgusting’ that no other alternative accommodation had been arranged sooner.

“It shouldn’t happen these days, it shouldn’t happen at all.”

The Cygnet man who cares for a stroke victim who was housed in the Flint home said the situation had been distressing for residents who were told on Wednesday morning that they would have no place to sleep after leaving the Travelodge.

“These people are all victims they didn’t have much anyway and now they’ve got nothing – they left with just the clothes on their back.”

flint house fire

“One old gentleman who was in his 70s was in tears because he had nowhere to go.”

A 26-year-old man has since been charged for deliberately lighting an inferno that caused mass destruction to the 40-room boarding home that was convict-built in the mid 1800s.

He has been remanded in custody and will reappear before the Hobart Magistrates Court on April 22.

No one was injured during the blaze.