AN arson chemist was investigating the cause of a fire which damaged the Dromana Courthouse last week.
Dromana CFA First Lieutenant Justin Hellyer said crews from Dromana and Rosebud fought the blaze which appeared to start in a doorway at the rear of the building in Codrington Street, 5am, Thursday 4 November.
When fire crews arrived the blaze had “severely damaged” the rear access area and parts of the roof and fascia were well alight.
It took the 12 firefighters about 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control with fold-up chairs and the magistrate’s desk destroyed. Plaster had to be pulled down so they could tackle the blaze in the roof.
Rosebud police taped off the building. Sergeant Will Harvey said the cause of the fire may have been accidental. “A homeless person may have been sleeping there and perhaps a cigarette butt caused it,” he said.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 9 November 2021
