Breakthrough in $24million harbourside mansion fire as two men, 20 and 69, are arrested over blaze that destroyed luxury home
- Two men are arrested over luxury home that was destroyed in September
- A 69-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were arrested on Wednesday morning
- The $24 million mansion went up in flames around 11pm on September 3
Two men have been arrested over an arson attack that reduced a luxury mansion to rubble.
The $24 million mansion in Northwood, in Sydney‘s Lower North Shore, went up in flames on September 3 with specialist forensic officers later determining the fire was deliberately lit.
On Wednesday morning Arson Squad detectives searched a property in Wentworth Falls, arresting a 69-year-old man and seizing a vehicle.
A 20-year-old man was arrested a short time later at a property in Punchbowl.
Two men have been arrested over arson attack that reduced a luxury mansion to rubble
The $24 million mansion in Northwood, in Sydney ‘s Lower North Shore, went up in flames on September 3 with specialist forensic officers later determining the fire was deliberately lit
Police will address the media later today.
The arrests come a day after detectives from NSW Police’s arson squad issued a call for information about the mystery arsonist after their investigation failed to turn up any meaningful leads almost two months on from the blaze.
Police released footage of the street on the night of the fire and called on anyone who spotted a specific van in the area to contact detectives.
The footage showed the vehicle – described as a silver Toyota HiAce Van with roof racks – driving on and near Cliff Road at the time of the fire.
The street CCTV showed the area was completely dark until a ball of fire erupted inside the Northwood home.
On Wednesday morning Arson Squad detectives searched a property in Wentworth Falls, arresting a 69-year-old man and seizing a vehicle
Shortly after a 20-year-old man was arrested at a home in Punchbowl over the arson attack that reduced the mansion to rubble
A man was then captured running towards the van a short time after the flames took hold, with police believing he left the scene in the Toyota van.
Specialist Fire and Rescue NSW sniffer dogs were brought in to investigate the fire with the expert animals picking up traces of an accelerant in the ruins of the property.
Despite the best efforts of two trucks and 50 firefighters, the house sustained significant damage.
No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported.
The house (pictured, before the fire) was built in 1915, bought in 1961 by the Rossi family and and sold last year for $24million
Prior to the home being burnt down the property was one of the largest pieces of privately-owned land in the city, boasting a 46 metre water frontage.
The almost 5000-square-metre property jutted down to the Lane Cove River and was bordered by federation-style properties.
The property had been involved in neighbourhood development disputes over the past five years.
More to come.
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