An Adelaide business has gone up in flames in what police believe to be a deliberate arson attack moments before a vehicle was stolen from the premises. <\/p>\n
Police and fire crews were called to K&A Auto Services on Raglan Ave at Edwardstown about 12.20am on Monday.<\/p>\n
Witness have told The Advertiser they heard explosions as the blaze took hold, causing an estimated $1.5m in damage.<\/p>\n
A driver waiting in the nearby Hungry Jack\u2019s drive-thru called triple-0 alerting them to the incident.<\/p>\n
A devastated Glen O\u2019Rourke turned up at the fire-ravaged property on Monday morning to find his pride and joy BMW 740I, which he owned for 6 \u00bd years, had been left a burned mess.<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Rourke said he received a text message last Friday to pick up the car but due to his role in reopening the Rosemont Hotel on Hindley Street, he planned to pick it up this Wednesday. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt hurts, it\u2019s only a car but still I was looking forward to getting it back,\u201d he said after seeing the car.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was looking forward to having my car for the opening in a couple of weeks, anyway that\u2019s just life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a man of faith and I pray for peace and we\u2019ll look forward to ultimately getting a new car.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Rourke said he hopes the police are able to catch those who are responsible for the fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person who was doing the work here on the car is a real specialist and I was so looking forward to getting it back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who operates in this criminal activity, the police need more resources to be able to look after these smaller things.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just hope whoever did this and targeted this site pays the price.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Advertiser understands the owner of the site who leases it is currently away, with the owner of the auto repairs shop also on holidays.<\/p>\n
Plastic sheeting and metal beams inside the auto repair shop were left a crumbled mess after the fire took hold overnight.<\/p>\n
Torched filing cabinets and parts of the metal roof collapsed during the blaze, landing inside the building, where fortunately nobody was inside. <\/p>\n
Foam used by the MFS to control the blaze is still visible among the charred rubble inside the business.<\/p>\n
Fortunately MFS crews were able to save an adjoining upholstery business. <\/p>\n
Aaron O\u2019Rourke was grabbing his morning coffee at Hungry Jacks across the road in Castle Plaza when he noticed the workshop where his dad\u2019s car was getting repainted had gone up in flames. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nuts, everything in there is just melted and disintegrated,\u201d Mr O\u2019Rourke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just gone, all up in flames.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of crazy having something like that so close to South Road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Rourke said he believes the owner of the business to be a good man, having worked on a number of his family\u2019s cars.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve know him for a while, he\u2019s done a few of our cars and I personally think he\u2019s a good person,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t see the fire but it looks like it should\u2019ve spread so it\u2019s super lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n
MFS commander Declan Dwyer said crews worked hard for over an hour to save adjoining businesses and contain the blaze. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we arrived we found very heavy fire coming out of the roof and out of the front of the building,\u201d Mr Dwyer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was quite a few hazards, being a mechanical workshop there\u2019s very likely to be solvents, chemicals and petrol and things like that as well as paints.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe damage for the business affected is pretty catastrophic \u2026 estimate for damage is probably around $1.5 million.\u201d<\/p>\n
An MFS spokesperson said 46 firefighters arrived to find a well-involved fire within one of the tenancies of a building, an area about 20 by 40 metres. <\/p>\n
\u201cFire crews worked hard to contain the blaze, using aerial appliances, taking 30 minutes with a further two hours required to fully extinguish the fire,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Firefighters used a combination of water and foam to bring the fire under control and extinguish it.<\/p>\n
Fire investigators attended the scene this morning and are treating the fire as suspicious.<\/p>\n
Police say officers identified a white 2014 Holden Commodore sedan \u2013 SA registration S927 BNF \u2013 was stolen from the business just prior to the fire.<\/p>\n
Police believe the fire was deliberately lit and ask anyone who may have witnessed the incident or anyone who spots the stolen Holden to contact Crime Stoppers at www.crimestopperssa.com.au or on 1800 333 000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An Adelaide business has gone up in flames in what police believe to be a deliberate arson 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