Firefighters evacuated homes around a burning newsagency on Queensland’s Gold Coast because of concerns about asbestos.
It took 20 firefighters about an hour to bring the blaze at north Palm Beach under control.
The Department of Emergency Services says the blaze began in a shopping strip on the Gold Coast Highway just after 4:00am (AEST).
Nobody was injured.
Station officer Peter Richards says 12 people from nearby homes were moved to safety.
“The asbestos as well as the insulation that was used in that area in the era that building was built can be quite nasty,” he said.
“We will be investigating, it’s just too early to tell just what the cause was.”
Police and firefighters are still at the scene and the fire investigation unit will examine the scene later today.
