Fire destroys abandoned mental health hospital building near Hobart - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

New Norfolk locals spotted the fire late at night. (Facebook: Jessica Frost)

Fire crews were called overnight to the original Millbrook Rise building, a former mental health hospital north of Hobart, which has been abandoned for years.

The Tasmania Fire Service says people occupying the surrounding buildings are safe.

A fire investigation is being undertaken to determine the cause.

Fire has destroyed a 90-year-old former mental health hospital in Tasmania's south.

The original Millbrook Rise building in New Norfolk, which has been abandoned for several years, caught fire in the early hours of the morning.

The Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) said it received multiple Triple Zero calls at about 1:25am to report the fire on Hobart Road.

It said local and surrounding brigades responded, and "specialist firefighting equipment" was sent from Hobart.

The aftermath of the fire on Monday morning. (Facebook: Kane Inches)

The fire was extinguished nearly two hours later, and an investigation is being done to determine the cause.

TFS fire investigator James Foster said people in the surrounding buildings were safe.

A health department fact sheet states Millbrook Rise operates as a rehabilitation centre catering for up to 26 people, staffed by doctors, nurses, a psychologist, ward aides, a social worker, an occupational therapist and a pharmacist.

The now-destroyed original Millbrook Rise building (top) next to the currently operating centre, pictured in 2024. (Nearmap)

Mr Foster said health department maintenance staff were on site trying to secure power and ensure the facility remained operational.

He said the investigation would take time to ensure the safety of personnel as they worked through the three-level building.

"This is an older structure, a lot of brickwork, and I guess the structural stability of some of the walls we have to assess," he said.

"There's not a lot of flooring left, so working on those upper levels is going to be challenging."

He said squatters had previously occupied similar buildings, so the TFS could not yet rule out whether anyone was inside at the time of the fire.

A photograph used to advertise Millbrook Rise. (Supplied: Willow Court Heritage Inc)

According to local history organisation Willow Court Heritage Site Inc, the Millbrook Rise Psychopathic Hospital opened in February 1934, and it was first used to help those who had returned from war, their families, and then the general public.

It became part of the Royal Derwent Hospital, which closed in 2001.

Tasmania's Health Department operates the Millbrook Rise Centre for Rehabilitation in other buildings near the now-destroyed building.