Bourbong St blaze aftermath

Oasis on Bourbong owner Peter Murray (right) and his son Brodie clean up the cafe in the wake of yesterday’s fire.

Vanessa Marsh Bunvfi

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Fire in Bundaberg CBD

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• Bundaberg CBD reopens after fire

THE Cash Store and Ignite Dance Studio were the worst hit by the blaze that brought the Bundaberg CBD to a standstill yesterday, but nearby shops were forced to close for several hours with some unable to reopen until today.

The Cash Store was destroyed by the fire with the upstairs dance studio copping fire, smoke and water damage.

Priceline, Oasis on Bourbong, Impressions Lingerie, Dymocks and Rich Aromas Cafe were all evacuated when the fire broke out.

Oasis on Bourbong owner Peter Murray and his staff spent yesterday cleaning the cafe.

“We'll be business as usual (today) after we've cleaned every bit of wall, floor, ceiling, bowl, plate and you name it,” Mr Murray said.

“Someone raced in and told us next door was on fire.”

Mr Murray used a garden hose to begin fighting the fire before fire crews arrived.

Dymocks Bookstore owner Phil Freeman said his shop escaped the fire undamaged.

“They just had to put the blower through to get rid of the smoke,” he said.

“They evacuated us as a precaution but everything was fine.”

Impressions Lingerie owner Jenny Golchert was in good spirits despite the devastation saying she would possibly hold a “fire sale” with her “hot lingerie”.

“We've just had a lot of smoke,” she said.

“We're waiting on the insurance assessor to see what we should do.”

Mrs Golchert said the store had come off much worse when it last faced a fire a few years ago.

Rich Aromas owner Judy Yeung said she was in the kitchen cooking when they were told to evacuate.

“We were halfway through cooking and we just had to turn it off and get out,” she said.

“It's unbelievable.”

The owners of The Cash Store and Ignite Dance Studio were unavailable for comment.