Million Dollar Mistake: Real Estate Agent Accidentally Burns Down Luxury Home Worth Rs 24 Crore

New Delhi: A real estate agent in Sydney, Julie Bundock, accidentally caused a multimillion-dollar property to burn down while preparing it for an open house viewing.

The property, located in Avalon Beach, was estimated to be worth $3 million (Approximately Rs 24 crore). The unfortunate incident occurred when Bundock, while tidying up the four-bedroom home, noticed bedding left on the deck by the current tenants. She removed the sheets and placed them in a downstairs room on a shelf next to a wall-mounted light, which she then turned on.

Approximately twenty minutes later, a fire erupted, resulting in the complete destruction of the house and all its contents. Investigations suggest that the fire originated from the shelf and bedding heating up and catching fire due to the proximity to the light source.

The property owner, Peter Alan Bush, along with the four renters who lost their belongings in the fire, took legal action against Bundock over the incident.

''I had been doing some tidying up. I collected some sheets drying on the veranda and threw them on top of a freestanding metal shelving in the bedroom under the stairs. I just threw them there Pete, right up against the light on the wall. I think that's what started the fire,'' she told a leading portal.

Chief Judge David Hammerschlag delivered a ruling on Tuesday regarding the case involving Julie Bundock and the fire incident at the multimillion-dollar property in Avalon Beach. He observed that Bundock had "actively created the risk of fire and the consequent harm." As a result, Judge Hammerschlag held Bundock accountable for the damages incurred by the property owner, Peter Alan Bush, and the affected renters.