Rozelle 3 months after the explosion

Rozelle 3 months after the explosion

More than three months on from the deadly explosion in Rozelle, the Village Fair has provided a symbol of the community’s recovery.

At 4.06am on Thursday September 4, an explosion woke the sleeping residents of Darling St in Rozelle, in Sydney’s inner west.

The explosion, sparked at the local convenience store, wreaked havoc on the street, causing road closures that lasted weeks.

While most residents managed to escape the blaze, three occupants remained unaccounted for  – Bianka O’Brien, 31, her 12-month-old son Jude, and Chris Noble, 30.

Although Thursday continued without sight of the missing three, emergency services remained vigilant that the mission was still one of ‘search and rescue.’

Hazards associated with the collapsed building prevented rescue workers from immediately reaching those unaccounted for.

Three men were also hospitalized following the explosion, two of which had jumped to safety from their first floor apartment.

The bodies of Bianka and Jude O’Brien and Chris Noble were pulled from the rubble on Friday afternoon.

Although the blaze inflicted immense cost to the street, both in physical damage and through loss of business – the loss of these three local lives was hardest to bear for the Rozelle community.

Darling Street remained closed for nearly two weeks – and reopened at 3pm on Tuesday, September 16.

It is estimated that the street closure caused a loss of $3 million to local businesses and affected more than 400 jobs.

Chris Mumme, the business owner of Darling Street Meats, projects that his business lost thousands in the eight days that it remained closed.

Though his regulars continued to support him, the aftermath of the explosion would affect the business for weeks to come.

Former Mayor, Darcy Byrne, spoke to City Hub about the damage inflicted to the local community.

“The longer that shops aren’t able to trade, the more long term damage is being done to our local businesses,” said Mr Byrne.

Meanwhile, a fund to assist the victims was instigated, with the help of the Rozelle Fire Appeal Working Party and Bendigo Bank – which currently stands at $228,000 raised.

100% of the funds from the appeal go directly to eligible applicants, who have either lost their home or significant other in the tragedy.

$110,000 of this was allocated among 7 people on November 17, followed by a further $55,000 to the same people two weeks later.

The Rozelle Village Fair on Sunday, December 14, began with a memorial tribute to the victims of the deadly explosion.

Mayor Rochelle Porteous believes it is important for the community to acknowledge the tragedy that they have all undergone together.

“Three lives were lost and the community continues to be affected by the passing of Chris, Bianka and Jude,” said Cr Porteous.

She added that the Village Fair was of great success to the community, with “many businesses doing many times over their usual turnover on the day.”

“Local businesses are on the road to recovery,” Cr Porteous said. “Rozelle is a pretty special community – where people really look after each other.”

“We should be very proud of the compassionate and generous way the community responded.”

 

 

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