Fire destroys waterfront Tamar Marine and Almasts stores in central Launceston

Wednesday 4 MarchWed 4 Mar 2026 at 7:08pm

In short:

A fire overnight has destroyed two marine businesses and a warehouse in central Launceston causing an estimated damage bill of more than $5 million.

It took two hours for 30 firefighters to bring the blaze under control, with water having to be pumped from the Tamar River due to limited access to mains water.

What's next?

Roads have reopened but firefighters warn smoke may be seen over Launceston on Thursday as they bring in an excavator to fully extinguish the blaze.

Two waterfront marine businesses in the heart of Launceston have been destroyed in a fire overnight, causing more than $5 million in damage, police say.

About midnight, police said they received multiple Triple Zero (000) calls of a fire in the Tamar Marine boating supplies store on West Tamar Road in Riverside.

A boating and fishing store gutted by flames. — Tamar Marine business was destroyed in the fire. (Supplied: TFS)

A fire truck in front a burning warehouse. — Firefighers respond to the blaze. (Supplied: TFS)

'Minor explosions'

The fire service said it took only three minutes to arrive at the scene in central Launceston, but a large part of the store was already on fire, and flames were seen coming from the second storey.

The fire then spread from Tamar Marine to neighbouring business Almasts Australia and an adjoining slipway warehouse. All three were destroyed.

"With some minor explosions taking part at that time, the brigades from Launceston soon realised that we would need extra support there," The Tasmania Fire Service's Dale Lapham said.

For two hours, 30 firefighters from Rocherlea, Ravenswood, Prospect and Legana fought to bring the blaze under control.

The firefighting effort was hampered by poor access to mains water, so crews resorted to pumping water from the Tamar River to extinguish the blaze.

Huge flames and smoke erupt out of a waterfront business. — Nearby residents saw the flames from their homes. (Supplied: Joanne Beswick)

Trevallyn resident Patrick Griffin awoke in the middle of the night to the sounds of the fire engines.

Early this morning, he watched the remains as they continued to smoulder.

"Yep, the whole thing is just burnt to a shell,"

Mr Griffin said.

"It's a very, very sad sight. You can certainly see an awful lot of smoke, you smell the smoke."

Mr Lapham said the flames were reaching 20-30 metres when two crews arrived on the scene about midnight.

Fire trucks outside a large building fire next to a highway. — It took two hours for firefighters to bring the blaze under control. (Supplied: Tasmania Police)

Smoke hangs the valley along the Tamar River above a destroyed business with boats in background. — A fire destroyed the Tamar Marine boating supplies store in central Launceston. (ABC News: Morgan Timms)

Business 'burnt to a shell'

Tamar Marine opened in 1979, specialising in everything boating, fishing and marine.

Locals, including business owner Richard Sherriff, are coming to terms with the loss of the business.

A man in a blue shirt sits in one his boat in a shed with fishing rods and nets in the background. — Richard Sherriff was a regular customer at Tamar Marine. (ABC News: Morgan Timms)

“I’m shattered and I've spoken to others in the industry and they feel the same,” Mr Sherriff said.

"Tamar Marine, it just wasn't a shop with a check-out up the front. When you walked in it, you were greeted by friendly staff, experienced staff."

Mike Stephens, who runs a tackle store in Launceston along with a fishing publication, said he had visited the business every week for the past four decades.

"You know anyone who's a runner or a biker or lives on the West Tamar goes past that place every day, and I'm not sure how you can rebuild it," Mr Stephens said.