In brief
- Fire tore through at least ten businesses in Richmond, an inner suburb of Melbourne, after a suspected ram raid and arson attack.
- The attack is believed to have targeted a tobacco store, one of several businesses within the building.
An inner-Melbourne mayor has warned of a "cancer of unchecked firebombings", after a third such attack in six weeks ripped through a popular thoroughfare in the city's east early on Monday.
Firefighters brought a major blaze under control across at least ten businesses on Victoria Street, Richmond, after Triple Zero received reports of a fire shortly after 4.15am.
The blaze, suspected to be a targeted arson attack on a street-level tobacco store, prompted a large-scale response from Fire Rescue Victoria, with more than 80 firefighters and almost 30 trucks working to contain it.
Yarra mayor Stephen Jolly told SBS News that traders and locals are still reeling from the incident, with many left in "a state of shock".
"Melbourne is the most beautiful city — it is the best place to live in the world, in my opinion — but it's got this cancer of unchecked firebombings," he said.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Victoria Police said they are "investigating a ram raid and fire", with a spokesperson confirming it is believed "unknown offenders drove a vehicle into the business before setting the building alight" and fleeing the scene.
A white SUV could be seen protruding from the front of the building, believed to be the vehicle used in the incident.
The targeted premises were unoccupied at the time, though shopfronts on either side sustained damage, the spokesperson said.
VicEmergency earlier issued a community safety alert for thick smoke affecting the area, which could be seen pouring from the site well into daylight hours. An acrid, pungent smell is reported to still be hanging over the suburb.
Victoria Street has been closed to all traffic between Church and Hoddle streets and three tram routes suspended.
Jolly said the frequency of such incidents was becoming impossible to ignore, noting Richmond alone had now been hit three times, with more than 100 similar firebombings recorded elsewhere across Melbourne.
Residents, he said, now wake each day to the prospect of another attack — something he called "the most important issue facing Melbourne at the moment".
Monday's fire is the third to hit Richmond in recent months, and by far the most severe, according to Jolly, following a firebombing at a Bridge Road tobacconist on 1 July and an attack on an exclusive Swan Street car dealership in May.
That earlier attack on Bridge Road saw trams suspended and a major inner-city road closed after emergency crews found the ground floor of a tobacco shop engulfed in flames about 3.30am. No one was inside at the time, though three people were evacuated from a neighbouring building.
Jolly said Monday's incident marked the first time bustling Victoria Street had been targeted, but the scale of the damage had left traders in a state of despair. Many, already operating on narrow profit margins amid the presence of the illicit tobacco trade, will meet with council staff on Monday to discuss what support can be offered.
Police have established a crime scene and are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has dashcam or CCTV footage, to come forward with information.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.
