The Old Barn in Allingham Street, Armidale was completely destroyed by fire in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The 40m x 20m timber structure was an historic landmark on the western fringe of Armidale’s CBD, thought to have dated back to the 1880s. The fire is not only thought to have been deliberately lit, it could be the latest destructive act by a suspected serial arsonist whose pyromaniac attentions have been focused on the area in the immediate vicinity of the intersection of Rusden and Allingham Streets.
Originally an old barn, the heritage listed building operated as a pre-loved furniture store for many years. It is understood that the owners had ceased trading around the start of the year and had been attempting sell the premises. It is thought to have most recently been used for storage, with boats and trailers believed to be among the destroyed contents of the building. Captain Scott Norton with the NSW Fire Brigades Armidale, estimated the cost of the damage from the fire at between three-quarters and one million dollars.
He said that the blaze was intense and firefighters fought it under difficult conditions. The heat cracked windows in the “Phoenix Centre” across the street. In addition to the billowing smoke, thick fog reduced visibility to a matter of metres.
“At about 2:45am, we received a 000 call about a building fire. On arrival, the building was fully engulfed. We were hamstrung a bit by the 11,000 volt power lines, which broke due to the heat. That forced us back 15 metres from the building. We could only use fixed lines from a distance, to start with, until Country Energy rendered the power lines safe,” Captain Norton said. Power was out to west Armidale until around 5:30am Saturday morning.1
“Within minutes, we had fire appliances on the scene. Within an hour we had another three fire fighting appliances, which came from Glen Innes, Uralla and Armidale. The fire took about three hours to contain.”
The neighbourhood has seen more than its share of nocturnal building fires. “We’ve been called here five or six times during the past fortnight, including another building fire next door,” Captain Norton said.
Three adjoining timber garages at the end of a block of flats on the corner of Allingham and Rusden Streets were extensively damaged by fire at the start of the week. “There have also been several rubbish fires. These fires are a serious concern,” Captain Norton said.
The existence of a serial arsonist has emerged as a strong possibility. “There are serious concerns about that,” Captain Norton said. “The Police are looking into it.”
The street was blocked off until late Sunday afternoon, with Police forensic investigators sifting through the building’s remains to ascertain how the fire started. NSW Fire Brigade investigators also attended the scene. Rumours quickly circulated on Saturday that Armidale Police had a suspect in custody, however, that was not the case and they are seeking assistance from the public to help with their investigation.
Other nearby buildings to have been destroyed by fire in the past decade were the Armidale Community Pre-School (in 2008) and the Scout Hall (in 2004).

 Story: Gary Fry