‘Scary': AFL star Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and his girlfriend flee home after fire at Glenelg East
Police and fire crews were called to the home on Brighton Rd at Glenelg East just after 2am on Thursday, after reports of a car on fire in a driveway.
'On arrival, patrols found the Audi sedan was fully alight with the fire having spread to a nearby home,' SA Police said.
The Port Adelaide defender was in a nearby house when he was woken by his girlfriend, 7News reported.
The pair grabbed their two kittens and quickly fled.
'I got woken up to my partner waking me up, there were a few loud bangs, she said there was a fire … looked out the window and sure enough the neighbour's car was on fire,' he told 7News.
'It was pretty quick - by the time we opened the door it just got to our house, so we got our cats and ran out of there.
'(It) was lucky we got out - we just watched from across the road hoping the fire brigade would get here.'
Mr Zerk-Thatcher claimed a jerrycan had been left at the scene and described the fire as 'a bit suspicious'.
'It was pretty scary, definitely makes you question if it's safe to live here,' he said.
'You don't expect anything like that to happen.'
Incredible images from the scene showed a burnt-out Audi sedan, surrounded by ash.
SA Police said no one was injured in the incident.
Crime Scene Investigators attended the scene to conduct an investigation.
'The fire is being treated as suspicious, after witnesses reported seeing people running from the scene shortly after the fire started,' SA Police said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
McDonald's rejected from affluent Sydney suburb
One of Sydney's affluent Northern Beaches suburbs has said no to the golden arches, with a contentious proposal to build a McDonald's in Balgowlah shut down amid concerns of anti-social behaviour and congestion on an-already bustling road. The plan to build the restaurant – which would operate from 5am to midnight – at 37 Roseberry Street, was unanimously rejected by the Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel (NBLPP) on Wednesday. In its decision, the panel highlighted existing congestion in the area – which is home to businesses, dwellings and the Manly Vale B-Line bus stop, stating: 'The application has not demonstrated the proposed development will not have unreasonable impacts on the already congested surrounding road network'. It also pointed out 'incidents of anti-social behaviour in the vicinity recorded by police' – who have raised concerns the restaurant could make matters worse. In its submission to Northern Beaches Council, police said they had 'some reservations' about the restaurant – which was originally proposed to be open 24 hours a day – stating it 'may contribute to an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour, particularly at night unless adequate security measures are implemented'. 'Given the 24-hour operating model, this development has the potential to attract increased levels of crime, anti-social behaviour, and public safety concerns, particularly during late-night and early-morning trading periods,' police said in the report. Police also noted a comparable existing 24-hour McDonald's located nearby recorded 58 incidents over the last 24 months, including assaults, burglaries and malicious damage. Within the vicinity of the proposed Roseberry Street site, police recorded a total of 112 incidents over the past 24 months. 'The introduction of a 24-hour fast-food venue at this location has the potential to exacerbate these incident categories, particularly in relation to assaults, anti-social behaviour, and property damage at night, if reasonable mitigation strategies are not implemented.' McDonald's had originally proposed redeveloping the site – which is currently occupied by the Seven Miles Coffee Roasters plant, head office and cafe – and opening the restaurant for 24 hours a day, seven days a week in an almost $4 million Development Application lodged to the council in February. However, the hours were later scaled back to 5am to midnight, seven days a week amid community backlash. A community petition calling on officials to 'Say NO' to McDonald's was launched in February. At the time of publication, it had attracted over 3,000 signatures, with supporters raising concerns about traffic congestion and potential crime, as well as noise and rubbish pollution. 'We are calling for a rejection of the application … and to consider the cumulative impact of fast-food outlets on our neighbourhood's environment and character,' Petition creator Sarah Garland said, as per The Courier Mail. Prior to the proposal's rejection, McDonald's told the publication last month, the restaurant would 'create more than 100 new local jobs and represents an investment of more than $3.9m into the community'. contacted McDonald's for comment however a statement was not provided prior to publishing. Plans for Redfern McDonald's scrapped It comes after plans for a 24-hour Macca's in the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern were scrapped following uproar from local residents and police earlier this year. The $3 million development plan for a two-storey restaurant on the area's main dining and shopping strip, Redfern Street, was blocked in a unanimous vote by the local planning panel at a City of Sydney council meeting in May. Police and local residents fought to stop the proposal, warning it would lead to a spike in theft and violent crime at night, and be a step backwards for the suburb. A request by a McDonald's representative for a six-week extension to try and resolve locals' concerns was also denied during the meeting, with one panel member suggesting those attempts would be like putting 'lipstick on what the community submissions largely believe to be a pig'. The local planning panel conceded that the development proposal 'has not adequately addressed crime prevention'.
The Australian
4 hours ago
- The Australian
Arncliffe, Sydney: Boy, 14, dies after falling from e-bike
A boy has died after he fell from an e-bike, NSW Police have confirmed. Emergency services were called to Broe Ave in Arncliffe, near Sydney Airport, about 2.45pm on Thursday following reports a rider had fallen from an e-bike. When police arrived they found a 14-year old boy with serious injuries. Paramedics treated him at the scene and rushed him to Sydney Children's Hospital in a critical condition, but NSW Police confirmed he in the evening he had died in hospital. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. More to come. Read related topics: Sydney Airport
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Tracing the trajectory of the Christchurch terrorist
In 2019 an Australian white supremacist lifestreamed his shooting rampage through Christchurch mosques. He killed 51 people and injured more than 80 during Friday prayers. He's been treated as a lone actor. His manifesto shared online minutes before the massacre disguised his connections to far right/white extremists. And at the New Zealand Royal Commission he convinced investigators that he had minimal online presence. But other investigators, academics and anti-fascist researchers here and in New Zealand have questioned this. Journalist Joey Watson argues that by unpicking the disguised interactions the terrorist had online leading up to the mosque attacks, and following his movements in Europe, that we should not be seeing this Australian terrorist as a lone actor.
