A fire deliberately lit in a Tewantin shopping strip in the early hours of Good Friday was a savage blow to business owners preparing for one of the busiest holidays in the annual calendar.
Investigations are ongoing into the suspicious fire that began in J&M Tobacco & Gift Store and affected the row of shops on the corner of Hilton Terrace and Earl Street.
Police said one business was significantly damaged in the fire with nearby businesses being impacted by smoke.
Noosa chief fire officer Rob Frey said Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) received multiple triple 0 calls just after midnight and four fire units attended.
On arrival, there was a large volume of smoke, he said.
Firefighters used hoses and breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire.
Officer Frey said all shops in the strip sustained damage. No one was injured.
Police declared the area a crime scene on Friday and cordoned off the shopping strip while investigations were undertaken.
Noosaville Fish Market owner Gary Roser said his business lost thousands of dollars of food and about $10,000 in sales on Good Friday, traditionally their biggest trading day of the year.
Gary said he was grateful the shop sustained only minor smoke damage and was able to reopen on Saturday.
“Other guys were much more affected,“ he said.
Tewantin Vets practice manager Sue Reid said the veterinary surgery which contained a lot of equipment suffered significant smoke damage.
“There were no pets on the premises so that’s a good thing,“ she said. “It’s going to be a long recovery period. There’s a fair bit to do in there. We just don’t really know how long it’s going to be. We can’t just shift to another place with all the equipment.“
Jessica Beveridge from The Groomery took to social media last Friday to inform customers their business had “been gutted by fire in the early hours of this morning due to no fault of our own“. She said they “may be weeks away from reopening“ and would have to cancel upcoming bookings.
J&M Tobacco & Gift Store posted a note on its premises to say they had reopened their business at another store on Hastings Street.
Bean Theory cafe owner Jennifer Mendes said they were lucky not to have sustained much damage, but were concerned for other business owners who were less fortunate.
She said their first priority was to make sure their business was clean and safe. After wiping down down the smoke-affected areas, they called in an electrician to give them the all clear before reopening the business on Sunday.
Jennifer praised the community for their assistance after they received donations of cupcakes from a Peregian baker, muffins from Good Shepherd and fruit and vegetables from Noosa Farmers Market.
She said she was collecting donations to assist affected shop owners and wanted to help them in some way.
Jennifer said most of the business owners rallied to help each other and this wasn’t their first disaster, having survived flooding last year.
Police are continuing investigations and calling on anyone with information, and any relevant CCTV or dash cam footage to contact police.
