Cheesed off by blaze

By MELISSA MEEHAN and LILLY OGORMAN
AN EARLY morning blaze at the Old Cheese Factory in Homestead Road, Berwick, has left one of the site’s heritage listed buildings destroyed.
CFA Berwick captain Alan Boyd said fire crews from Narre Warren, Hallam and Berwick were called to the scene in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“Even before arriving on scene fire-fighters knew they had a large fire to tackle as flames and smoke spewed into the night sky and was visible for many kilometres,” Mr Boyd said.
“The entire end of the building at the rear of the site was well alight and the fire was spreading into the rest of the building as fire crew arrived.”
He said quick action by the first crews on scene managed to stop the spread of the fire and stop it from engulfing the building.
“Unfortunately, the northern end of the structure and part of the roof could not be saved and were destroyed in the blaze, along with their contents.
Detective Senior Constable Paul Holland from Casey CIU said police believed the blaze was suspicious and said the Arson Squad chemist was on the scene on Wednesday morning.
He said the cost of the damage to the heritage listed building was estimated at $150,000.
Community groups that use the buildings are said to be devastated by the news.
“The only art material we’ll have left is an awful lot of charcoal,” Parkinson’s Art Group leader Anne Atkin said when contacted on Wednesday morning.
She was looking at the positives after her group lost everything in the blaze that claimed the rear hall and administration building of the Old Cheese Factory.
She said everything the group used from easels, paint, canvases and other tools were lost in the blaze. She said she was already trying to figure out how her group could continue.
“It’s destroyed six years of collecting art materials for this group,” she said.
“Everything is gone.”
Not-for-profit group ‘Communities in Partnership’ which works in the disability sector, were devastated to find the chapel burnt out when they arrived for their 10am meeting.
The group was able to use the hall for meetings for free about every 6 to 8 weeks.
Committee Wilson Dianne Wilson said it was extremely disappointing.
“It’s very, very upsetting. It’s such a beautiful old chapel, with so much stored in there as well,” Ms Wilson said.
“I just hope it gets rebuilt and it is not so badly damaged that it has to be demolished.”