A number of local people have been left without a place of worship after a suspicious fire consumed a temple in Jamisontown last month.
Emergency services were called to the premises on Blaikie Road in the early hours of Sunday, December 30, shortly before 2.30am, to reports that the building was on fire. NSW Fire and Rescue units from Regentville, Penrith, Cranebrook, Glenbrook and St Marys worked together to extinguish the fire, however one end of the building was severely damaged; the other side of the building only affected by smoke damage.
“The fire appears to have started at the northern end of the building but the first arriving crews were quick to knock down the fire and prevent further damage, despite the fire being through the roof,” said Station Commander Bruce Cameron from Regentville Fire and Rescue station.
After the fire was extinguished, a crime scene was established and examined by specialist forensics teams. There have been no developments in the case but Penrith Police are still treating the fire as suspicious.
“We are still actively investigating what we believe to be a suspicious fire at the Blaikie Road temple. We have collected a number of exhibits that are being forensically examined,” said Penrith Police Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Grant Healey.
“We believe the fire was not a biased, motivated crime,” he said.
If anyone has any information about the fire or people acting suspiciously around Blaikie Road in the weeks leading up to December 30, 2012 they are urged to contact Penrith Police on 4721 9444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
