Tens of thousands in damage after fire destroys Lovestar warehouse
Fire has ripped through a beloved Australian designer’s business, destroying “everything” at her western Brisbane warehouse.
Shocked Lovestar owner Helen Bayley shared the damage with her 50,000-plus Instagram followers on Monday afternoon as firefighters continued to hose down the embers.
Lovestar owner Helen Bayley surveys the damage to her Moggill warehouse after a fire on Monday.
Photo: Lovestar.“This afternoon something really awful happened,” she said, her voice cracking.
“There was a fire and everything has burnt down. Everything.
“So, this was my shed with my laser machine and all my acrylics and it’s all gone, all of it. Luckily no one was injured and everyone's OK.”
The fire, which broke out about 4.20pm, has been blamed on the laser cutter used to create much of the rising lifestyle business’s products.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Service Pullenvale station officer Craig Meade said the fire took off in minutes, destroying the storage and work shed on the semi-rural property.
He estimated the damage bill at between $45,000 and $75,000.
Former lawyer Helen Bayley.
After dousing the flames, Mr Meade was told the laser cutter operator had just finished cutting a piece of acrylic when he walked to the main house to take a phone call.
When he returned, the shed was alight.
The station officer said there were no suspicious circumstances and what was left of the scene, including the badly damaged machine, appeared to fit in with that version of events.
After speaking to witnesses, he said the phone call could not have lasted more than 10 minutes and the operator wished he had stayed with the machine while it cooled down.
“I don’t know about the laser cutter, how much that’s worth in itself, but they've lost anywhere from 45 to 75 thousand dollars,” he said.
“I suppose you could take in the structure into consideration as well.
“It’s that plus it's a business that has sort of stopped now until they can get that going again.”
Ms Bayley was not available on Tuesday morning, but Lovestar sales and customer liaison Jessica Kelly described the shed as a main part of the business.
The business also works out of a studio, based elsewhere.
“It’s really devastating, a really unfortunate event,” she said.
Lovestar took off after Ms Bayley, a former lawyer. took inspiration from the walls of her typical Queenslander home to design a heart-shaped vase, made out of plastic.
The design was a hit and Lovestar was born.
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