Investigators went through the blackened remains of the house in Childers Road and say fire appears have started accidentally in the roof space. Photo / Murray Robertson
A fire that ripped through an old house in Childers Road last week apparently started accidentally in the roof area.
The large native timber house, located on a section alongside the playing fields of the former St Mary’s School site, caught fire around 8.40pm on Thursday night.
It was well-alight when fire crews arrived.
Squatters living in the house all got out safely.
Specialist fire investigators spent Friday looking over the blackened remains of the gutted building.
“We found the fire started somehow in the roof space of the house,” one of them said yesterday. “But given the extent of the damage, we were unable to ascertain exactly how it might have started.
“It does appear to have started accidentally.”
The investigator said police had been able to contact the house owners to advise them of the fire.
