"Canberra News, Views and Opinion"
More as it comes to hand.
UPDATE 1: We’re hearing new acton completely on fire. Will check.
UPDATE 2: As you can see the Hotel Diamant is really blazing away. More as soon as we know.
UPDATE 3: Fire brigade believe they’ve got it under control.
UPDATE 4: We’re hearing the fire started in the roof above the hotel restaurant.
UPDATE 5: This tweet in from Emergency Services Minister Simon Corbell:
Ambos on scene but no one treated for injuries at this stage, surrounding apartments evacuated. Fire operations to cont o/night
Here’s the slideshow so far, thanks enormously to everyone who’s contributed. More being added all the time.
Please send any photos you’ve got of this in to images@the-riotact.com.
ACT Fire Brigade on scene at a fire at Diamant Hotel site on Marcus Clarke street, Acton.
Update to follow.
4:50pm Thursday 23 June 2011
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ACT Fire Brigade on scene with multiple resources working to bring the fire under control.
ACT Fire Brigade believe everyone has been safely evacuated at this stage.
5:15pm Thursday 23 June 2011
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Hotel was well alight on arrival by ACT Fire Brigade.
Fire has been knocked down and under control.
Building has significant fire damage.
Nearby buildings have been evacuated.
Fire spread to adjacent buildings has been contained.
Fire operations expected to continue overnight.
Five pumpers, the Bronto Skylift Hydraulic Platform, the specialist Breathing Apparatus unit and command vehicles on scene.
ACT Ambulance Service also on scene as support with no patients treated.
6:10pm Thursday 23 June 2011
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The ACT Fire Brigade completed atmospheric monitoring in nearby buildings with residents allowed back inside at around 9:30pm.
Fire crews will remain on site overnight continuing to dampen down the fire and monitor for any hot spots.
ACT State Emergency Service also providing support on scene with lighting towers.
6:53pm Thursday 23 June 2011 – Update four on fire at Diamant Hotel site Residents of nearby buildings remain evacuated as firefighters continue to work on completely extinguish the fire.
Firefighters will undertake atmospheric monitoring to ensure it is safe before the all clear is given for people to return inside.
10:37pm Thursday 23 June 2011
Video from the other side of the lake as posted by bencapod (thanks RiotFrog)
And this video from qednet:
More video from qednet:
Rich sent this in
Here’s the view later on from the apARTments:
Here’s WIN News take on the fire:
WIN’s late bulletin:
ABC reportage:
Here’s what Twitter is saying:
And we’re even trending nationwide:
Further coverage can be found on our morning after story.
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And it is getting worse!
The whole building is on fire with massive flames at least 7 floors high.
Reminder everyone to stay clear of the area as emergency services do their best.
@ActPol_Traffic on twitter says it’s the Diamant hotel.
RiotACT – faster than ESA! Diamant Hotel, apparently.
There is a rumour that it is the Flint Restaurant that’s burning.
John has some photos, Its not just flint.
We are able to see straight through to where the fire is from our building and I can say that the flames are certainly not getting any better. There is going to be extensive damage to the buildings in that whole complex by the looks of things. There was a fair amount of time between the smoke and the big flames so hopefully everyone got out OK.
It’s most of it. Flames though most of the building and some ambulance sedan blocked off the side street slowing down the ladder
Polly have q good effect on apartment prices there
The riot act, faster than ABC Canberra!
Just heard from a mate that it started in the Flint kitchen. Rode past on the other side of the lake a moment ago–flames engulfing the whole site. I was rather hoping it might be a fire in the construction site at Nishi.
First my local the Shellshock Inn, and now this. Any other heritage listed buildings we should be careful around?
lol, where do you think they got it from
Some video (from the other side of the lake): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZk9Z8OcrwQ&feature=youtu.be
Well this sucks. Say what you might about the Molonglo group or the service at Flint or the prices at Parlour, but the Efkarpidis clan revitalised a piece of our city. Tis a shame.
Mate just rang…. London Circuit and Parkes Way are like car parks with everyone stopping to take pics.
Might wanna find alternative ways home if anyone is still at work…
Couple of pics:
http://users.tpg.com.au/goodship/gone.jpg
http://users.tpg.com.au/goodship/fire.JPG
We were booked in to Flint for the beer festival tonight with a few mates, looks like it’s cancelled.
we have seen fires in canberra before and when it all came out in the media to find thet were deliberate for progress and the people involved gave them selves a medal ..so wouldnt this be a coincidence that they wanted the old buildings removed for a new highrise building which will go there now no matter what ..skeatesy.com
unlikely for such a new redevelopment.
more vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkG8HuFJbnU
Flint – irony…
I’d like to thank my friend Jon for showing me the Parlour and Flint Restaurant; as now I suspect that will be my one and only visit – booohoo; we’ve lost something really special in Canberra!
Heritage listed eh? So I guess the owners will be ecstatic that they’ll be able to build.
Hope there were no injuries or loss of life.
I am as suspicious of dodgy property developers (is there a non-dodgy developer?) as the next man, but in this case it is a building which has only just been renovated at what I can only imagine was many millions of dollars cost. If the end game was torching it to get ’round heritage listing, it probably would have made more sense to do it before spending all that money building, opening and promoting a restaurant.
Hope no one was hurt.
skeatesy said :
This was the Efkarpidis’ pride and joy. A stunning restoration job, and the other three buildings completely built around this one. This is no stocktake.
The irony (aside form the fire originating in Flint) is that the buildings sat empty for so many years, and experienced extensive damage from vandalism and neglect. If nothing else, it’ll be interesting to see what they do with the site. I can only wish the Molonglo group and the businesses there the best. I hope and trust that any redevelopment that takes place there is done to the same high standards as the rest of the precinct.
More valuable as a burnt block than as a heritage building. Just sayin’ …
johnboy said :
Unless it isn’t turning a profit after three or four years …
So where the h*ll is ACT Heritage in this? Where’s the requirement for fire sprinklers? Where’s the risk management regarding having a pizza oven in a heritage building? BIG FAIL, ACT Heritage.
The two blocks saved suggested pretty good sprinklers and firewalling to me.
When I saw it I thought the whole building was beyond saving.
Very sad, it was a lovely hotel. The original buildings housed the Institute of Aboriginal Studies until about the early 1990s. As the grandchild of someone who worked there during that time I thought the Diamant renovation was lovely and sympathetic to the original building whilst still being quite arty and groovy.
I do hope they’ll rebuild as it was a lovely place to have lunch and they’re child friendly.
I feel terribly for those poor people who’ve lost their jobs through this – hopefully they’ll be snapped up by some other local hotels/restaurants/bars.