Marina fire ‘botched insurance job’: police

A FEROCIOUS fire which destroyed several luxury boats at a Gold Coast marina and caused about $1 million in damage was a botched insurance job, police allege.

Detective Inspector Chris Ahearn said it would be alleged the owner of a vessel called the Bella Donna organised two men to set it alight, but in the process they destroyed several more and damaged a section of the Hope Harbour Marina.

Three men from the Ipswich area have now been charged over the June 2 blaze.

Insp Ahearn said a $50,000 insurance claim was lodged for the 9.5m vessel after the blaze.

“Our investigations suggest that it most certainly is an orchestrated act that has resulted in, not only the arson of that particular vessel, but the arson and destruction of a number of other vessels that were simply moored next to it,” he said.

“We will be alleging that a number of litres of petrol was poured into the engine area of the boat, and on to the decking.

“It was an extremely ferocious fire. There was quite a bit of fuel that was emptied on to that vessel and it really has ignited significantly, to the extent that those flames have quite simply readily jumped to the vessels on either side.”

Police tracked one of the men after he presented to an Ipswich hospital with burns to the leg. The trio had a “loose” business association, Insp Ahearn alleged.

A 33-year-old man from Dugandan, the owner of the Bella Donna, has been charged with three counts of arson and one count each of attempted fraud, enter premises with intent to commit an indictable offence and endanger property by fire.

Two men aged 21 and 25 from Fernvale have both been charged with three counts of arson and one count each of enter premises with intent to commit indictable offence and endanger property by fire.

They will front Southport Magistrates Court in August.