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A furious blaze that destroyed a $24million heritage-listed mansion is being treated as suspicious, police say.
The fire broke out at the mansion at 62 Cliff Road in Northwood, in Sydney’s lower north shore, just after 11pm on Saturday.
Detectives from the North Shore Area Command and the Financial Crimes Squad’s arson unit were in the area on Monday, speaking to neighbours and trying to work out what happened.
The home was built in 1915 and featured a tennis court, a boat house and its own cellar, and used to belong to travel industry pioneer Mary Rossi, her husband Theo and their ten children.
When Mrs Rossi died, her family were reluctant to sell it, but eventually it was sold to their nextdoor neighbours – fund manager ‘Owen’ Ouyang Chen and his wife Xiao Hong Li.
Pictured: The charred remains of 62 Cliff Rd in Northwood, in Sydney’s lower North Shore
Firefighters raced to the burning home (pictured) at about 11pm on Saturday night
The house (pictured, before the fire) was built in 1915 and sold last year for $24million
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Mr Chen had anything to do with the blaze at his house.
In August, about three months before the home was sold, Mr Chen lodged a development application with Lane Cove Council requesting permission to demolish his house and rebuild a $5million four-storey mansion with a swimming pool.
The proposal was rejected in October for a range of reasons to do with the immense size of the build, along with having ‘an unacceptable impact on the heritage’ house next door.
Mr Chen was seen outside his house on Monday morning, and then leaving to speak with police about the fire.
Pictured: An artist’s impression of Mr Chen’s proposal, next door to the heritage-listed 62 Cliff Rd (left)
Pictured: Mr Chen’s house at 60 Cliff Road, Northwood. He lodged an application to demolish it and rebuild
Neighbours said before the Rossi family sold Mr Chen the heritage home, members of the Rossi family themselves had objected to his development plans to demolish the house next door, along with a number of other close neighbours.
In the development application, Mr Chen said he wanted to build a bigger home for his children and other relatives.
When that was rejected, he put in a modified proposal in July this year, which also drew rejections from neighbours.
Despite the best efforts of two trucks and 50 firefighters, the house was gutted by the huge fire, which broke out on Saturday night.
Mrs Rossi, a TV pioneer and travel business owner, lived there until she passed away at the age of 95 in 2021 having raised her kids in the house with Theo, who died in 2010.
Police scoured the area on Monday, speaking with neighbours and trying to get an idea of what happened
Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia the Rossi family had an issue with Mr Chen’s development proposal
‘It’s funny seeing it written up in the media as a mansion,’ said Emma Rossi, 55, who was the ninth-born of the clan and works as a communications consultant.
‘We never thought of it as a mansion, it was just a home.
‘It was a home you walked in and just got this sense of love the minute you walked in the front door. It was palpable.
‘It’s the end of an era. That’s for sure.’
Mary lived in the house until the end of her life and Emma said she was kept up with modern TV viewing to entertain her 40-odd grandchildren.
‘All the grandkids, including my own, used to love going up and spending the night with her and eating Maltesers and watching Game of Thrones,’ Emma told Daily Mail Australia.
Emma Rossi, who is second from the right, with other members of her family at the home in Northwood, which has been destroyed by fire
The last major family gathering at the house was in December, as the sale contract was being settled.
‘We had a very long table along that gorgeous verandah and all the family were there,’ Emma said.
‘There were close to 100 people and we all had to stand up and say a few things.
‘It was just hilarious and great fun. It was a very fitting farewell, especially now that we have lost the house.’