A popular Tasmanian vet clinic on Hobart's eastern shore, which treats 100 animals a day, has been left reeling after a fire in the roof just a year since it completed a $4 million upgrade.
A popular Tasmanian vet clinic on Hobart's eastern shore is assessing the impact from a fire in its roof early on Tuesday morning. The Bellerive practice — which underwent a $4 million renovation a year ago — treats more than 100 animals each day.
Tasmanian Veterinary Hospitals expects the blaze to have a large impact on its services and is urging clients with upcoming appointments to contact its Kingston or Sorell practices for assistance.A Tasmanian veterinary clinic impacted by a fire in its roof says the blaze will likely have a "significant" impact on its delivery of services, with the damage bill estimated to be more than a million dollars. Fire crews were called to Tasmanian Veterinary Hospitals in Bellerive, on Hobart's eastern shore, at about 3.30am on Tuesday. The Tasmanian Fire Service said the blaze was contained to the building's roof space, and no people or animals were inside the building at the time.An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, with the TFS estimating more than $1 million of damage. Veterinary hospital co-owner and director Gareth Stephensen, who also owns the hospital's Kingston and Sorell practices, said he and the team were still processing what had happened. Dr Stephensen said he received the call from the clinic's security company at 3.30am, and had arrived at the hospital to see fire crews on scene and "smoke billowing out of the roof".Gareth Stephensen expects the total cost of the damage to be much higher than $1 million."But then there's all our equipment cost. We had a CT scanner in there. There's millions more, I would have thought, in equipment costs that are unaccounted-for at the moment."The Bellerive clinic is the largest of three Tasmanian Veterinary Hospitals practices, as well as the largest vet hospital in the state Dr Stephensen said, treating an average of 100 animals a day."Where there's not fire damage, there's smoke damage or water damage," he said.ABC News: Greg SzaboDr Stephensen said he expected it would take a "significant" toll on the services the team was able to provide."We simply don't have the capacity to do it at our smaller sites, and obviously we have to start looking at alternatives and what we can do."Dr Stephensen said the clinic was the only one statewide to perform certain operations, such as laparoscopic and arthroscopic surgeries. "So will be the first room I'll be going into, to see if any of that equipment is still up and running," he said.ABC News: Greg Szabo"It's going to be difficult. There are going to be procedures that we simply won't be able to do because we don't have the facilities or the equipment to do it in the short-term." He said the clinic would try to share its workload across the Sorell and Kingston practices, as well as looking to see whether temporary alternative sites could be accessed.Support pouring in from community Dr Stephensen said one uplifting element has been the support flooding in from the state's veterinary community."I think I've been contacted personally by almost all the veterinary clinics in Hobart and certainly several others around Tasmania as well.ABC News: Greg SzaboHe said the hospitals' biggest asset was its team, across its three practices."I think they're incredibly resilient people and they'll find a way to get through it, I'm sure." Clients wishing to contact the Bellerive clinic are encouraged to contact the Sorell or Kingston practices, who can help put them in contact with the right teams.
Tasmanian Veterinary Hospital Vet Bellerive Fire Tfs
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