An iconic South West restaurant overlooking the Busselton Jetty has been destroyed by a blaze in the early hours of today.
Key points:
- A call to triple zero about the blaze was made before 4:00am Monday morning
- The building has been 90 per cent destroyed, DFES says
- Busselton Jetty CEO says it could take a year to rebuild
The Goose restaurant has been a popular attraction for locals and visitors, overlooking the Busselton Foreshore and the renowned jetty.
Just before 4:00am today firefighters were alerted to the blaze, which had almost completely engulfed the building when crews arrived.
Thirteen crews attended and spent all morning getting it under control.
Mopping up started at 7:00am but crews had to evacuate after the roof collapsed more than an hour later.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said 90 per cent of the building has been destroyed.
At this stage the fire was not being treated as suspicious, but it was too early to tell what sparked the blaze.
Busselton Mayor Grant Henley was on a morning walk when he came across the destruction.
“It’s an iconic part of the foreshore being right at the foot of the Busselton Jetty and it’s going to take some time to rebuild, so that’s very sad for all concerned.”
ABC News: Gian De Poloni
)Rebuild could be months
In a social media post, the owners said the restaurant would be closed for the foreseeable future and thanked people for their understanding.
The Busselton Jetty was closed while investigations got underway and until the area was determined safe.
ABC South West: Anthony Pancia
)Jetty CEO Lisa Shreeve said it was devastating for not only the owners and staff but the wider community.
“I’d assume that it’s going to take at least 12 months to rebuild and it’s going to be devastating for the foreshore,” Ms Shreeve said.
“I feel really disappointed for the staff and the owners, they’ve built the business up over the last five or so years to be super popular.”
