A beloved father-of-two and business owner who died after a ferocious blaze ripped his warehouse has been remembered as the ‘most honest, genuine and vivacious human’.
Marine technician and businessman, Rob Lo Presti, was working at the marine engineering facility in O’Connor, in Perth‘s south-west on Saturday when the premises went up in flames after an explosion.
He was trapped inside and couldn’t be revived.
Mr Lo Presti is survived by his wife Rebecca and two young children.
Floral tributes were left for the avid fisherman alongside his coffee cup outside the guttered warehouse on Sunday.
‘(His) love of life was was noticeable to everyone who knew him and his infectious smile (was) like no other,’ his grieving family said in a statement.
‘He has left behind two amazing children who will live on in the memory of their loving father.’
Perth father-of-two and businessman Rob Lo Presti (pictured) was killed in a ferocious factory fire on Saturday
Two others were injured in the blaze which is being treated as a tragic accident by WA Police.
The two-storey warehouse stored a range of petrol motors and engines, fuelling the fire which quickly engulfed the building.
State premier Roger Cook said the fire appeared to be ‘a tragic, horrible event’.
‘I don’t have any other details, but obviously that must have been very distressing for those first responders,’ Mr Cook said on Sunday.
‘We thank them for their for their work, and of course, we’ve had a loss of life too.
He said emergency services were yet to determine the ‘really sad’ circumstances surrounding the fire.
Rob Lo Presti is survived by his wife Rebecca and their two children
The marine engineering business owner (pictured) was also an avid fisherman
More than a dozen firefighters raced to the scene to put out the ferocious fire.
Witness Candice Waugh told reporters she heard a loud bang before she saw smoke fly into the sky.
‘We heard a big, big boom and felt a shockwave, a little bit of a tremor, through the ground,’ she said.
‘It sounded like a gas explosion, we could see black smoke coming out of the door.’
WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services acting area manager Shaun Gilbert, said firefighters struggled to enter the factory.
‘(The fire was) very, very hot which did impede access into the building,’ he told Nine News.
‘No entry at the rear of the premises, either, so it did make it incredibly difficult to try and access the fire.’
More than a dozen firefighters raced to the scene (pictured) to put out the fire which is understood to have been started by a gas leak
Mr Gilbert said it seemed that ‘some sort of fuel leak’ had caused a vapour flash and explosion which led to the boat and factory going up in flames.
Arson investigators returned to the site on Sunday to continue inquiries into what sparked the blaze.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.