By Kymberly Martin
Still under investigation.
The fire at the Harvey Norman store in Mt Isa on February 3 looks in all probability to have been caused by an electrical fault. Speaking to Appliance Retailer, franchisee Brad Sheppard, said: “We understand that an electrical fault could be the cause but nothing has been confirmed to us yet”.
Image caption: Brad Sheppard, left and joint franchisee, Brian Bower
A report in the North West Star quoted Mt Isa police acting officer-in-charge, senior sergeant Brad Inskip saying the fire was still under investigation but “everything is leading to it being an electrical fault.” Also that CCTV footage was still being examined to confirm if there were any suspicious circumstances around the fire that destroyed the Harvey Norman business that resulted in several million dollars in damages and a complete loss of stock.
Sheppard said trading at the temporary site was going well with final fixtures currently being set up and the balance of stock, namely computers and small electricals expected to arrive within the next couple of weeks when the store should be back to full capacity.
A temporary Harvey Norman store opened in the city on February 21.
“Work on the old site begins next week but we are still waiting for details as to what the plans are,” Sheppard said.