49 classics burned in Australian shop fire

A shop fire in Mentone, Australia, destroyed a collection of 49 classic motorcycles.

A fire that started when a battery exploded after a short last month at John Gee’s factory destroyed the bikes, according to the Mordialloc Chelsea Gee, who owns and runs Antique Motorcycles, was in the neighboring building when the fire started in the factory that housed half of his collection.

The most prominent bikes in the collection were a 1939 Indian four cylinder worth around $90,000, a 1928 Indian Chief once owned by actor Steve McQueen and two 1934 Harley Davidson VLs, the newspaper reported.