INVESTIGATIONS into the cause of the fire that tore through the Cobram Hotel in the early hours of Monday morning last week are continuing, with investigators expecting an answer this week.
About 13 firefighting appliances, including the aerial appliance from Shepparton and trucks from as far as Bendigo and NSW, took a little under two hours to bring the fire under control, which began at the 126 year old Station Street hotel at 7:30am.
The fire is believed to have started in the office area of the building on the ground floor, spreading to the second floor.
CFA District 22 Headquarters operations officer, Peter Bell, who is one of the investigators, said, “The operator of the venue was preparing to open the premises and went upstairs to have a shower, when he smelled the smoke but got out without any injuries.
“Two rooms were fire damaged, including the office on the ground floor and lounge room on the first floor. The remainder of the property has suffered smoke damage and water damage and is expected to cost a large amount to repair.
“The fire has been investigated and deemed not suspicious. At this stage we don’t have a definitive cause as we are still working through it.
“We are hoping to have an answer within the coming week.
“It was a great effort from the volunteers who turned out to fight the fire.”
