Police have charged a 13-year-old boy over a huge fire that gutted a north Queensland shopping complex. The fire gutted four shopping outlets in Mackay, including most of the Toys R Us, Clark Rubber and Autobarn stores. Emergency services received reports of the fire at Greenfield Blvd, Mackay about 11.45am (AEST) on Saturday and it took more than three hours for the blaze to be contained. Police invoked the public safety act, which allows them to force people in the surrounding areas to evacuat
e, about 1.30pm.
No one was injured. A public safety order is still in place because of police concerns about toxic smoke from burning chemicals in some of the shops.
A nearby shop worker, who did not want to be named, said witnesses saw four teenagers being arrested in the carpark.
“They (the teenagers) were in our shop this morning, we hunted them out. They were being horrible in here,” she told AAP.
The Department of Community Safety confirmed a fire investigator would be brought in to work out how the blaze started.
The boy has been charged with arson and is due to appear in court on Monday.
AAP
