ARSON squad detectives are expected to investigate a deliberately lit fire that caused at least $1 million damage to three shops at the Epping Homemaker City in High Street on Friday night.
A Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman said the deliberately lit fire at the rear of Yes Furniture destroyed about a third of its stock and caused ‘‘significant’’ structural damage to the building.
The spokesman said shops on each side of the furniture store, including a Lincraft shop, were badly smoke damaged and were likely to have suffered considerable stock losses.
It took 40 MFB and CFA firefighters using thermal imaging cameras to locate the heart of the blaze through thick smoke and it took an hour to contain the blaze, which started at 11.25pm on Friday, he said.
‘‘Roof support beams buckled and sagged in the intense heat and the jointing between some concrete wall sections was weakened, allowing them to lean precariously both inwards and outwards,’’ he said.He said a council engineer would inspect the damage and determine the building’s structural integrity.
He said the $1 million damage bill was expected to ‘‘substantially’’ increase when a full assessment of the smoke damage to adjoining stores was conducted.
While fighting the blaze, crews noticed a separate fire in another shop nearby and quickly extinguished it. ‘‘Police have been notified and the arson squad is expected to continue with the investigations,’’ he said.
