Via BiteBack: “Public notice: As of 02/12/14 the Oberon NSW slaughterhouse will be out of order.
Maintenance work began around 2:00am on the 2nd of December in the roof over the plants main building. Early work was successful, leaving behind only a shadow of the killing machine that originally stood above us. We moved quickly and work best at night anyway, so by the time those who showed up to appreciate our work arrived, we were already on to our next job. We do this for the love of it, the love of liberation, so no payment or gratitude necessary.
Surely this will cause an inconvenience to profiteers of animal abuse, and for this we generously offer any future services to those affected free of charge. No need to leave your name and address, chances are we already know you.
**All workmanship is guaranteed, if for any reason the owners decide to rebuild, we will return to complete all original work.**
Best wishes and happy holidays from your local handymen.
ALF”
December 2: Oberon Abattoir gutted by fire
A large fire ripped through the Oberon Abattoir early Tuesday morning causing extensive damage to the business, which had only reopened in February this year. Both the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and Oberon Fire and Rescue were called to the Hazelgrove Road blaze at 2.57am. On arrival they found the main building well alight. Inspector Mick Holland from Chifley RFS said there was extensive damage to one of the major buildings.
“There were two appliances [fire trucks] from Fire and Rescue and three from the Rural Fire Service,” he said. “One of the issues was that there was a major gas line that they [firies] had a bit of difficulty locating and isolating. “They saved more than half of the structures there, they did an exceptional job.”
The fire was extinguished at 5.06am.
Police and Rural Fire Service fire investigators are at the scene investigating the cause of the blaze. Earlier this year Oberon Abattoir manager Andrew McLeod told Fairfax Media that they were looking forward to serving local producers. “We really want this to work,” he said. Mr McLeod said the abattoir would employ around 45 people and would process lamb, goats, deer and cattle.
December 3: Oberon Abattoir blaze is suspicious, police confirm
A huge blaze that ripped through the Oberon Abattoir early yesterday morning has been deemed to be suspicious, and police have called for help from the public.
The blaze broke out in the abattoir’s main building just before 3am, and firefighters arrived to find much of the main building, and a gas main, well alight.
Fire and Rescue NSW’s Fire Investigation and Research Unit was on the scene yesterday, along with Sheba the labrador, who is trained to detect ignitable liquids. Qualified firefighter Tim Garrett said Sheba had already been involved in 700 fire investigations, and her experienced nose was at work within the burnt-out building yesterday.
He would not confirm if ignitable liquids had been found, but did confirm that is what Sheba was trained to find.
NSW Rural Fire Service fire investigator Michael Spira worked alongside the forensic services group yesterday to determine the fire’s cause and origin. “We’ve got an area we suspect is the origin … we’re focusing on an area we believe was the intense part,” he said.
Chifley local area command detective Bob Newman called on any members of the public who may have taken photos of the fire to submit them to police.
“We’ve got an area we suspect is the origin … we’re focusing on an area we believe was the intense part.”
He confirmed police were treating the fire as suspicious and investigations into the blaze are continuing. “There has been some suspicious stuff found,” he said. He confirmed police were also looking at triple-0 call records as a line of inquiry.
Mr Spira was unable to confirm how many points of origin the fire appeared to have, but said it was an intense blaze. “The ceiling structure and the walls are insulated with styrene; it’s caused quite an intense fire, but it always leaves a burn pattern,” he said. The fire’s burn pattern is just one element investigators were assessing yesterday in the burnt-out building.
Mr Spira said a number of samples had been taken from the building. Until these results were received, he could not confirm if an accelerant had been used in the fire’s ignition.
The abattoir can process more than 300 animals a day, but Mr Spira confirmed no animals were in the main building when it caught alight in the early hours yesterday. When Oberon Abattoir reopened in February this year, manager Andrew McLeod told Fairfax Media that it would employ around 45 people and would process lambs, goats, deer and cattle.
