Competing clubs and local businesses rallied behind Orange Emus Rugby Union Football Club on Thursday, following an electrical fire at its Endeavour Oval storage shed.
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Emus president Steve Fergus said he was notified about the fire at 4.30am, and had been fielding offers to temporarily replace the estimated $100,000 worth of equipment ever since.
Mr Fergus said representatives from Orange City Rugby Union Club and Bloomfield Junior Rugby League Club, as well as former Central West clubs CSU Orange and Cumnock, had been among those on the phone on Thursday wanting to help.
It's just devastation. It's a lifetime of work for a lot of our members who've been assisting with upkeep for decades now
- Steve Fergus
"It's a really awful situation but the support from around town has been phenomenal," he said.
"It's blown me away how forthcoming everyone has been."
Fire, police and ambulance crews were called to the scene at 3.50am on Thursday after neighbours saw the blaze.
Fire and Rescue NSW officers reported the shed was fully engulfed by flames when they arrived on the scene.
Police NSW's Forensic Evidence and Technical Services was called in from Bathurst to conduct a crime scene examination, which found the cause of the blaze to be a faulty electrical appliance in the shed.
Detective Chief Inspector Bruce Grassick said there were no signs of forced entry at the location.
Mr Fergus estimated the total cost of the damage to be between $150,000 and $180,000, including the shed.
"It's just devastation. It's a lifetime of work for a lot of our members who've been assisting with upkeep for decades now," he said.
"They collected the fundraising dollars to get us to the position we were in, so it's upsetting for them to have to see this."
Mr Fergus said the ball was now in the court of the insurance company, but thanks to "countless offers" of help, the club's training sessions and games would go ahead as planned, including Saturday's scheduled fixtures against Forbes Platypi.
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