As Australian real estate agent Julie Bundock prepared for an open house at a luxurious four-bedroom home nestled on Sydney’s northern beaches, she encountered bedding left out to dry by the current renters.
In an attempt to tidy up, Bundock moved the sheets to a downstairs room and placed them on a shelf beneath a light, which she promptly switched on. Tragically, approximately 20 minutes later, a devastating fire erupted in the residence on Riverview Road in Avalon Beach.
Investigators believe the blaze originated from the shelf and bedding overheating and igniting due to the proximity of the wall-mounted light.
The inferno ravaged the property, valued at an estimated $2 million, reducing it and all its contents to ashes.
Seeking restitution, the property owner, Peter Alan Bush, who had been preparing to sell the house, pursued legal action, as did the four renters whose possessions were consumed by the flames.
Bush recounted in court how Bundock purportedly exclaimed, in the presence of witnesses including his partner, Lynne Emanuel: “Oh my God Pete, I think I’ve burnt down your house.”
