The owner of an established Maroochydore mechanical business is putting on a brave face this morning after fire ripped through the premises and killed his four-legged mate.
Smoke was spotted billowing out of Sugar Road Tyre and Mechanical shortly after 5pm yesterday.
Anthony Neilson said he got a call from a mate to say the business was on fire. Mr Neilson immediately drove there and called 000.
“I arrived pretty much at the same time as the firies and let them in, and they went in and did their thing – they were fantastic,” he said.
Mr Neilson’s first thought was for his dog, Kouta, who minded the premises overnight.
“I went to go in and they stopped me. They said ‘we’ll get him’,” he said.
Sadly, Kouta, a customer favourite, had already perished from smoke inhalation.
Mr Neilson, who has owned the business for 20 years, said he was coping with the support of friends and family.
He was waiting outside the business this morning with an employee of nine years, Jacqueline Arthur, for fire investigators to arrive.
“We’ve got no idea what happened. One of the firies last night suspected the hard drive for the security camera but we don’t know anything,” he said.
The fire destroyed the office area, reached into the tyre store at the right of the building, and spread through the ceiling into the workshop area at the rear of the premises.
Mr Neilson said most of the workshop tools could be salvaged but he was unsure about tyre stock.
The business employed four people, sometimes five, and he said insurance would cover wages, “so we’ll be able to keep our full-time staff employed”.
He hoped the insurance would cover the cost of rebuilding so he could re-open as soon as possible.
“I’m all right. It’s out of my hands now,” he said.
Unable to access any customer records, Mr Neilson and Ms Arthur turned customers away as they arrived this morning.
He said the support of customers and locals since the fire meant a lot to him.
“The customers pulling up, people ringing and texting and on Facebook – it’s very humbling for me,” he said.
A Queensland Police spokesperson said fire investigators would attend the scene today.
They said emergency services were called to the fire about 5.40pm yesterday.
“Upon arrival the business on Sugar Road was fully engulfed in flames however emergency services were able to contain the fire and stop it spreading to other buildings,” they said.
“Police are investigating the circumstance around the cause of the fire, but it is being treated as non-suspicious at this time.”
Traffic was diverted however all roads have now now reopened.
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