Police say a petrol jerry can was found inside a Far South Coast tobacco shop suspected to have been the target of an arson attack.
Authorities were alerted to the blaze inside Eden Tobacconist and Giftware around 5:30 early yesterday morning.
Detective Inspector Justin Marks said a passer by used a fire extinguisher to knock down the flames.
“The premises has been examined by our forensics services team,” Detective Inspector Marks said.
“It appears from our initial investigation the front glass door of the premises was smashed in and then unknown offenders have then thrown a jerry can inside the building,” he said.
“We haven’t ruled out if the offenders gained access to the building prior to the jerry can being thrown in.”
Police have canvassed the area for witnesses and to gain access to any nearby CCTV footage. They have called on anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
“Even if you think stuff you may have, either dashcam footage or something you witnessed and don’t think it’s relevant please make an effort to contact Bega Police Station or CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000,” Detective Inspector Marks said.
“What you may think is not relevant may be a big piece of the puzzle for us as we investigate this attempted arson at this business,” he said.
