Fires rip through Kangaroo Island restaurants ahead of tourist season
A series of fires across Kangaroo Island over the past three months has left three restaurants gutted and the island’s tourist industry scrambling for solutions.
The latest fire occurred on Thursday September 21, at around 7pm and gutted a butcher and two restaurants.
The fire is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault, which first caused a blaze on the prior Sunday.
The Lighthouse Cafe and the butcher were destroyed, while nearby Cafe Scrumptious was forced to temporarily close due to smoke damage. Scrumptious is likely to be closed for a few months.
The damage bill is estimated to be around $1 million, but the cause of the reignition is yet to be determined.
Just a month ago, another fire ripped through the Seaview Motel in Kingscote, destroying The Odd Plate restaurant and causing $500,000 damage.
The cause of the fire was deemed accidental.
In June, the Shy Wren restaurant caught fire at Penneshaw, leaving a $1 million damage bill. This blaze was also deemed non-suspicious.
"I was quite bewildered about it … that just completely stupefied most people, it was beyond comprehension it would go up again," Kangaroo Island Council Mayor Michael Pengilly said.
"The butcher shop is finished now which is our only butcher shop on the island, so it hasn't been a good week."
The destruction of the island’s venues comes ahead of the November tourist season which is expected to attract 60,000 visitors at peak.
Pengilly said the island has put on a brave face.
"We're coming into the busy season so we need those cafes open in Kingscote," he said.
"Unfortunately the Lighthouse Cafe won't reopen. I did see the operator of that looking for a food truck this morning.
"We'll manage, we'll just have to manage because the visitors coming to the island will want things, so we're out to serve them the best way possible.
"We'll get on with it. We coped with having half the island burnt out so I'm sure we'll cope."
Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance chair Susi Whitehead said, "It is absolutely devastating, particularly for those businesses that are left scrambling and dealing with the shock and trauma of having their livelihoods lost in a dramatic fashion.
"We'd like to pitch in and help and that was certainly indicated four years ago when we were burnt, everyone rolled up their sleeves and helped.
"It's always that silver lining to a very dark cloud, is seeing the response of community digging in and helping each other."
Jonathan Jackson, 25th September 2023
