Three months after a suspicious fire ripped through the Signarama section of trade finishing house TLC Melbourne, investigators are yet to disclose what occurred on the night of May 7 which sparked the blaze.
Passers-by alerted authorities to the fire shortly before 9pm after seeing thick clouds of smoke billowing from the Ireland Street print factory.
No one was injured, however the business lost two wide format printers, a flatbed and a laminator.
A TLC employee suggested the fire was lit from the inside after forced entry, however police have not provided an update since May.
Australian Printer contacted a police spokesperson this morning and was told the member assigned to the case has halted the investigation until next week and the case remains open. TLC owner Barry Webster has declined to provide comment.
Just two weeks after the blaze, the TLC finishing house was up and running again, however the Signarama section remained out of action due to fire damage.
Three months on, Webster’s Signarama appears to have bounced back with Signarama staff now answering calls to the business.
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Hi Melanie, What a sad day it is that you report something like this about a long standing Melbourne supplier to the print industry. How about asking us to all help out and support TLC – a company that that has been a leader in this industry for over 20 years… privately, Australian owned!! Shame on you for kicking Barry Webster in what is already a very trying time. Have you even tried to call him… I have and he always is available for comment…. Sandra Downie – Director Kosdown Printing
Hi Sandra, thanks for the comment. Not sure what you mean by ‘kicking Barry Webster’, as the article is simply updating our readers about the cause of the fire. On paragraph five I have written ‘Barry Webster declined to provide comment’, because I called him yesterday and he declined to speak with me. We have also reached out to Mr Webster on previous occasions, to no avail.
Hi Melanie,
I am not alone in my thoughts on your magazines “decline to comment” and how it sounds to the reader as if he is avoiding discussing this. Of course he is… this is the end of an era for what was his life long dream and family business. Perhaps Barry, his family and the printing families who are supporting him have been too busy to comment as they are cleaning up this major fire which has destroyed many peoples lives, his family, staff and others. The last thing he needs is a magazine asking his thoughts. What he needs is support and we like many others in the industry will be there for him 100%. The fire has happened and instead wanting to bother him with why and how… what about a nice story on the rebuild which is under way. I doubt you will ever get Barry to comment as the first articles on the TLC fire said “Barry Webster declined to comment” and he had never even been contacted.