The much-loved Morwell Bowling Club has been destroyed by fire overnight. More than 60 firefighters were called to the fire on Hazelwood Road at 12:30am and found flames had already engulfed the roof, causing it to collapse.
Morwell Fire Rescue Victoria captain Shane Mynard said despite their best efforts, crews were only able to save 10 per cent of the main building.
“A function room and the green on the other side, which has big plastic shade cloth covers, they are all still intact. There’s a little social room that has been saved as well,” he said.
Firefighters were forced to step back from direct firefighting when the roof collapsed.
“It’s completely gone. You’re talking 80 metres by 50 metres of building all gone,” he said.
While the new multi-millon-dollar extension was mostly saved, Mr Mynard told the ABC the rest of the building would likely need to be demolished.
Firefighters said water supply was an issue because they were drawing large volumes of water from the mains supply.
“We were struggling with water supply so we called in for more resources to try and support that water supply problem,” Mr Mynard said.
Water pressure issues from aging town infrastructure were a problem in fighting the fire.
He said two fire trucks alone draw 4,000 litres of water per minute from the mains, and pressure from the system was low.
There were 20 tankers on the ground in total.
“That can happen quite regularly in older parts of town, and Morwell is an older town,” Mr Mynard said.
“You’ve just got to adjust your firefighting techniques.”
The cause of the fire is yet to be established.
“Fire investigators have been arranged to come down and they will do that with police,” Mr Mynard said.
“We don’t believe it is suspicious, but that can’t be determined until we get the investigators to have a look through the fire.”
Cause of the Fire Remains Unknown
Firefighters were called to the scene just after midnight.
In the past few years the bowling club had undergone a major renovation, becoming one of the busiest restaurants in town.
Mr Mynard said the club had become a “community hub”.
“The donations support the community — football clubs, netball clubs, fire brigades,” Mr Mynard said.
“It’s a big hole in the community in general around the area, I think, which is really sad.”
The Impact on the Community
Over 60 firefighters from Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and neighboring Country Fire Authority crews were called to the scene at 12.30am.
“On arrival the brigade found that the fire had extended through the roof – and the building is approximately 80 metres by 60 metres,” Morwell FRV captain Shane Mynard told 3AW.
“Once (the fire) got established, it ran through the roof space very quickly, which made it hard to contain.”
It is reported that the fire in the roof caused it to collapse, forcing internal firefighters to operate externally.
“Close to 95 per cent of the building is completely destroyed,” Mr. Mynard said. He said that most of the extension was saved, however the destroyed portion of the building will likely need to be demolished.
The blaze took about three hours to get under control and appears to have started from the inside. The cause of the fire remains unknown at this stage.
Water supply was reported to be an issue for firefighters, as they required to call for more resources.
Mr. Mynard said the business was last open until about 11pm on Monday, August 19.
He believes the incident isn’t suspicious, however mentioned it cannot be determined until the investigators had come to a conclusion.
“It’s a bit of a hub for the local community, and it’s a shame that this has occurred,” Mr Mynard said.
A Loss to the Community
Last month, the Morwell Bowling Club won multiple awards at the Community Clubs Victoria awards night. The club was presented with the awards for Best Community Club Redevelopment, and Regional Best Club Bistro/Restaurant.
The club’s Facebook page described the blaze as “devastating” and said the club would be “closed until further notice”.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of community support and resilience.
While the physical building may be lost, the spirit of the Morwell Bowling Club lives on in the hearts of the community it served.
The community is urged to come together to support the Morwell Bowling Club as they rebuild.
A Devastating Blow
The Morwell Bowling Club is not the only bowling club in Victoria to have been affected by fire in recent years.
In 2021, the Kew Bowling Club in Melbourne was destroyed by fire. The club was rebuilt and reopened in 2022.
The Morwell Bowling Club fire is a devastating blow to the community. The club was a popular destination for locals and visitors alike.
The club’s loss will be felt by many in the community.
The fire is a reminder of the importance of fire safety and the need to be prepared for emergencies.
A Look Back
Fire crews were called to the Morwell Bowling Club on on Hazelwood Rd in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
About 80 firefighters worked to get the fire under control, which destroyed part of the building and caused its roof to collapse.
Efforts to battle the large blaze were hampered by poor water supply in the area.
Firefighters did manage to save a newer section of the club, a function room and the bowling lawn with Fire Rescue Victoria Shane Mynard saying crews did an “outstanding job”.
“(There was) a lot of memorabilia in that building and I feel for the Morwell bowing club, they’re a bit of a hub for the local area,” he said.
“It was a significant fire to try and control.”
Mynard said it did not appear as though the fire was suspicious and that there was no indication that any accelerant was used inside the building.
Fire investigators will attend the scene to determine the cause of the inferno.
