By JONATHON HOWARD
A POLICE investigation is underway to determine the cause of a devastating shed fire that destroyed thousands of dollars worth of vehicles and property.
The fire occurred at 60 Hempsall Street, Cootharaba, about 4.30am on Tuesday 2 September.
The owner was not at the site during the blaze as he was away for work.
The first person on the scene was neighbour John Lowe, who said he heard a loud bang from the shed.
Mr Lowe received burns to his left leg and left arm after he attempted to hose the blaze down.
“By the time I got to the shed it was fully engulfed,” he said.
“Because the power had been cut, the water pump wouldn’t work, so the hose was useless.”
The fire destroyed thousands of dollars worth of equipment, two BMWs, a caravan and motorbike as well as several lawn mowers and personal items.
One of the BMWs was an X5 believed to be the most expensive car in the shed.
Kawana Waters Crime Scene investigators were on site sifting through the rubble to determine the cause.
Mr Lowe said several electrical items could have been responsible for igniting the fire, but he could only speculate.
“By the time we got to the fire, the shed was completely engulfed,” he said.
Five fire crews attended the blaze and it was under control within 30 minutes.
Area Commander for Caloundra John Webb, who was the Noosa on-call officer at the time, said the shed measured about 12 by 12 metres.
“The shed was completely engulfed and fire crews were able to bring it under control, in order for police to investigate,” he said.
The owner was believed to have been informed about the fire via email as he works at sea.
The Noosa Shire is currently under an “extreme fire danger” and residents are being urged to have their fire safety plans in place.
For help during an emergency dial triple-zero.
