Devastating fire at Pilgrim coffee shop closes Hobart city streets
UPDATED: A FAULTY bar fridge has been blamed for the fire that broke out at Pilgrim Coffee overnight, leaving 30 staff out of work.
Tasmania
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UPDATED: A FAULTY bar fridge has been blamed for the fire that gutted Pilgrim Coffee on Monday night, leaving 30 staff out of work.
Regional fire investigator Matt Lowe said the damage bill is estimated between $400,000 and $500,000, partly because of the building’s heritage status.
Pilgrim Coffee owner Will Priestley said while that may be the estimated building damage, he suspects the cost to his business will be a lot higher.
“All of our equipment is gone, our fitout is gone. It will need a full refit,” he said.
“We’ve also got The Standard burgers on the other side, which is also shut. So there’s about 30 staff out of work at the moment.
“We share a kitchen with Standard burgers and that will be out of commission for a few weeks, I believe.”
Mr Priestley said there has been overwhelming support from the community after the devastating event and hopes the business would recover.
“I’ve put a huge chuck of my life in the business and we were one day shy of our seventh birthday,” he said.
“But I feel the support from the community is there to get us back on our feet.”
Commenting on social media, José Navarro said: “In true Pilgrim style you guys will come back bigger and better! Thoughts to all the team during such a horrible time.”
Louise Keady, of Cremorne, wrote: “So sorry to hear of this devastating loss for you, Will and team. You will be greatly missed for now, and I know many Hobartians are hoping you can get back up and running as soon as possible.”
Firefighters quickly evacuated 20 people from accommodation above the shop before tackling the blaze.
Two crews from Hobart and one from Glenorchy managed to contain the fire within an hour of receiving the 000 call.
Materials used during the building’s construction, including wood shavings used as insulation between the walls, contributed to the quick spread of the fire.
Saad Mohamad owner of neighbouring business Cignall tobacconist, said he was concerned about his business – because of its flammable contents – but was relieved that both his shop and the people staying above Pilgrim Coffee were unscathed.
“I’m very relieved everyone is safe, which is the main thing,” he said.
“It’s obviously a concern having a fire right next door to you, with a lot of cigarettes and a lot of dollars, so we’re very, very pleased it didn’t get this way.”
Dumpling World, on the corner of Liverpool and Argyle streets, also chose to trade today. Waitress Stella Xing said she spent the majority of the day rewashing cutlery and wiping ash off surfaces.
“I just feel everything is dirty, because [ash] has dirtied the shop.”
Argyle Accommodation co-owner Andrew Geard, who runs the short-term stay business above Pilgrim Coffee, said the smoke damage would keep his business closed for months.
“[My business partner] Greg and I have pretty much been up all night,” he said.
“He’s been trying to relocate everyone into alternate accommodation and I’m doing the paperwork. At this stage it looks like we’ll be up for $250,000 in damages.
“It’s devastating. We only started up six months ago and now this.”
Visiting Melbourne medical doctor Edward Adi was one of the 20 people staying at the Argyle Accommodation when the inferno broke out.
“Even with a headtorch on, it was difficult to see [through the smoke],” he said.
“The smoke was coming from under the door. It smelt pretty horrible to begin with, then I opened the door it was quick outside.
“I had time to grab my wallet, my phone and my headtorch and started heading out.
“It all went by pretty quickly.”
EARLIER: EXPERTS are examining the fire-ravaged remains of Pilgrim Coffee in an effort to determine the cause of an overnight blaze which sparked the evacuation of about 20 people and also damaged nearby businesses.
Tasmania Fire Service crews were called to Pilgrim Coffee, on the corner of Liverpool and Argyle streets, just before 11pm last night after a number of triple-0 callers reported smoke coming from the windows of the CBD business.
On arrival, crews found black smoke coming from the two-storey building.
“Crews quickly located a number of people above Pilgrim Coffee, which was being used for accommodation,” the TFS said in a statement early this morning.
“Twenty people were evacuated from the second storey above the coffee shop.
“Ambulance Tasmania attended and checked those that may have been affected by smoke inhalation.”
The TFS said Pilgrim had suffered significant fire and smoke damage, as had the accommodation areas above the shop.
“The main fire has been contained to Pilgrim Coffee, with some surrounding businesses sustaining smoke damage,” the TFS said.
“TasNetworks have isolated power to the building. The cause of the fire is currently undetermined and further investigation will commence at first light.”
EARLIER: THE owner of one of Hobart’s most popular coffee shops has been left devastated after fire ripped through his business late last night.
Tasmania Fire Service and Tasmania Police were called to Pilgrim Coffee on the corner of Argyle and Liverpool streets just before 11pm.
The cafe’s owner Will Priestley last night told the Mercury he was still processing the incident but hoped to bring the business back.
“It’s shocking, I’m feeling disbelief more than any other emotion,” he said from the scene.
“When I walked towards it and saw all the smoke pouring out all I thought was ‘crap, I’ve got to get in there’.
“It’s gutted. It’s a really old building so the internal walls are all wooden and the support beams are wooden.
“I do hope to be back, it’s fully-insured, so we’ll definitely try to do something.”
Mr Priestley was last year hit by another life-changing blow when he suffered a cardiac arrest during hockey training.
The coffee king, who is also a partner in Aloft Restaurant, Standard Burgers and Queens Pastry, said he was only just starting to get back on his feet financially.
“I had no income protection when I got sick, so we lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and we were only a couple of weeks away from recovering from that,” he said.
“We’ve got a couple of other venues, but things were going really well at Pilgrim.
“I’m very concerned for our staff, we have about 15 full-timers whose livelihood come from the business.”
Sergeant Jen Wood last night said it was too early to determine the cause of the blaze but confirmed no one was injured.
Pilgrim’s windows were completely smashed out in the fire, with everything inside severely damaged and scorched.
A number of burnt tables and chairs were all that could be seen inside. It is unclear if any neighbouring shops were also damaged.
Pilgrim Coffee was just one day short of celebrating it’s seventh year in operation.
Two fire crews from Hobart and one from Glenorchy managed to contain the blaze within an hour of receiving the triple-0 call.
Fire investigators are expected to attend the scene at first light.
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