- Title:
-
Fire in Hobart Myer Department Store, 22 September 2007
- Date:
- September 2008
- Organisations
- BCRC
- Authors:
G.S Freeman
Research abstract- Location:
- Tasmania, TAS, Australia
Overview
The International Bushfire Research Conference - Incorporating the 15th annual AFAC Conference.
The fire in the Myer, Murray Street department store in central Hobart occurred on the 22 September 2007, the day after the 2007 AFAC fire conference in Hobart.
The Myer building was built in 1908 and consisted of 4 levels, including 1 below ground and contained a variety of merchandise ranging from cosmetics and records through to clothing and home wares.
The building was conjoined with a similar Myer building fronting onto Murray Street in Hobart as well as the Cat and Fiddle Arcade shopping complex, Fletcher Jones and Ellison Hawker Newsagency. The store was a shopping icon and pivotal to the main city block in Hobart.
What started out as a call on the Direct Brigade alarm culminated in one of the largest fires of its type in Tasmania’s history with an the damage estimate now at $AUS 200 Million.
At the height of the fire every available career firefighter in Hobart was on scene, in addition to some volunteer crews a total of in excess of 100 firefighters. Volunteer crews were also providing fire coverage for the Hobart area throughout the night.
