Darren Handley has shaped surfboards for some of the world’s best surfers. As the founder of DHD Surfboards, he has had a hand in making surf history. He did it from his factory in Burleigh Heads, but a Boxing Day inferno turned that factory into a charred, smoking husk.
“There’s a lot of history in there,” he told 7News Gold Coast. “A lot of old boards that are irreplaceable.”
The blaze broke out at around 9:30 in the morning at the Burleigh Heads Industrial Center. Half an hour later, ten fire crews were on the scene. Heavy, potentially toxic smoke billowed into the air, prompting officials to request that neighbors close their windows. By 10:45 a.m., the fire was under control, and by 2 p.m. the fire crews were gone. Investigators remained on scene trying to determine the cause of the fire.
Handley was surprisingly stoic after losing his factory.”Things like this do happen,” he said. “It’s just a bummer it’s happened to me. We’ll just all knuckle down, build a new factory, and start again. It’s not that hard.”
