Sydney convenience store owner, Adeel Khan, was arrested and charged this week, over the deaths of three people in a fire and explosion at Rozelle in Sydney’s inner west.
At 4am on Thursday 4 September, emergency services were called to Darling Street, Rozelle, where they found the convenience store well alight and the building extensively damaged from an explosion. Three people died in the fire and another three people were injured.
Detectives attended Royal Prince Alfred Hospital at Camperdown at 8.30am on Tuesday 23 September where they arrested the 44 year old man from Greenacre. He has been charged with three counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, three counts of manslaughter as well as 17 charges relating to the damage of property, including one count of setting fire for a financial gain.
He has been remanded to appear at Central Local Court on 21 October 2014.
In the fire’s aftermath a large section of Darling Street was closed for almost a fortnight due to fears that a neighbouring store could collapse. The store has since been demolished and Darling Street reopened, however businesses along Darling Street faced difficult trading conditions as residents avoided the area and police combed the rubble.
As the close-knit community struggles to recover, a community concert held on 21 Sunday September was attended by a crowd of 1000 at nearby King George’s Park. The concert provided an opportunity for residents to fundraise for, and remember, those who lost their lives in the fire; mother Bianka O’Brien, her son Jude and their neighbour Chris Noble.