Vandals target derelict city building

Fire Hydrant (3)  TBW Newsgroup
Fire Hydrant (2) TBW Newsgroup
WILFUL DAMAGE: A fire extinguisher was thrown from the inside of the Fidler and Webb building onto the footpath yesterday morning. Picture: KATIE JACKSON

THE Fidler and Webb building became a target for vandals yesterday morning when someone smashed a window using a fire extinguisher.

The fire extinguisher was thrown through the window from the inside, out onto the Commercial Street East footpath.

Police were notified of the incident, which occurred sometime in the early hours of the morning.

“We are aware of an incident overnight where a vacant, derelict building in the city incurred window damage,” Mount Gambier Police officer in charge Senior Sergeant Chris King said.

“Police will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.”

It is not the first time the building has been a target for vandals.

In March last year, a teenager lit three small fires inside the building at the top of the stairwell.

For several years the damaged site has become an eyesore in the heart of the city.

Fortunately for the local community, developers recently announced that demolition of the building would start later this month.

Despite the ongoing vandalism at the Fidler and Webb site, Snr Sgt Chris King said incidents of wilful damage across the city are “pretty low”.

“We do not actually see much property damage and graffiti in the city,” he said.

“Most of the property damage incidents that are reported, the parties are known to each other.”