Picture: TODD LEWIS
IN A time of crisis across the globe, a staff member at a Mount Gambier gift shop was shocked that someone would set fire to their store yesterday morning.
At around 2.15am, police responded to alarm activation at the Gift Gallery on Compton Street and arrived to find a small fire inside the shop.
Security footage showed a short time earlier, a man had smashed the front window of the shop and thrown a flammable item inside.
Staff member Kel Dalton was alerted to the incident by a phone call at around 2.30am yesterday and arrived to find Metropolitan Fire Service crews on the scene to contain the blaze.
“I arrived and there were firefighters, police and ambulance services here and all I could see was a little hole in the front door and then I realised there had been a fire,” Ms Dalton said.
“That was all the offenders did, they just broke the door and started a fire, nothing was stolen or anything.”
Metropolitan Fire Service crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire in around 10 to 15 minutes and limit the damage to around $40,000.
After only opening at the Compton Street location around six weeks ago, Ms Dalton said she could not find any reason why someone would want to damage the shop.
“I have no reason whatsoever, other than the fact we are a new shop, that’s the only thing I can think of, that we are a new shop in town,” she said.
“It’s extremely frustrating that someone would do this because do not we have enough going on that we have to worry about in the world and now we have this huge clean-up that we have to deal with.”
With the store closed yesterday, Ms Dalton said staff were determined to get back on their feet, but admitted it may take a little while.
“We have had the door fixed really quickly, but we still need to clean-up and get the stock back in order, which may take a little while,” Ms Dalton said.
She hoped police could track down the arsonists responsible for the fire.
“I really hope they are caught because you cannot do this to people’s livelihoods,” she said.
Limestone Coast Police officer in charge Acting Superintendent Campbell Hill said police were keeping an open mind about the crime as they followed a number of lines of enquiry.
“This is certainly frustrating and the offending is an escalation on the standard break-in’s we have seen throughout the city,” Act Supt Hill said.
“We are fortunate the firefighters were able to extinguish it so quickly as the impacts of the fire could have been more far-reaching for the small business.”
While the offending was concerning, Act Supt Hill said arson was a rare occurrence in Mount Gambier.
Anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity on Compton Street at that time or has any other information that may assist the investigation is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
