A suspicious fire has caused significant damage to the grandstand at the Caulfield Racecourse in eastern Melbourne.
Fire crews were called to the course just before 6.20am on Tuesday to reports of a blaze at the heritage-listed site.
Footage from the scene, posted to social media about 7am, shows the flames ripping through the first level of the eastern side of the main grandstand while firefighters doused it with water.
A Fire Rescue Victoria spokesperson said firefighters arrived at the scene and escalated their response to ‘third-alarm’, meaning extra crews were called in.
‘Crews worked quickly to contain the fire to the centre building with the incident deemed under control at 7.09am,’ the spokesperson said.
Victoria Police have launched an investigation into the blaze it describes as ‘suspicious’.
‘No one was injured and the area was evacuated safely’ police said in a statement.
Anyone with information has been urged to contact police.
Police have launched an investigation into a ‘suspicious’ fire at the iconic Caulfield Racecourse early on Tuesday morning (stock image)
The Melbourne Racing Club said in a statement that the fire started in The 1876 Bar on Level 1 of the Norman Robinson Stand.
No staff have been hurt which is a great thing. There’s a lot of smoke, a lot of water coming through,’ club chairman John Kanga said on RSN radio.
‘I don’t know (what the damage is yet). There’s no damage to the track, it’s been contained to the grandstand.’
An alert for nearby residents to stay inside was cleared by Fire Rescue Victoria after the blaze was determined to be ‘Under Control’.
‘There is currently no threat to the community, but you should continue to stay informed and monitor conditions,’ the alert said.
Fire Rescue Victoria Dennis Smith said there are fears parts of the stand built out of timber may have to be knocked down.
‘That section will be out of action for quite some time,’ Mr Smith told 3AW on Tuesday morning.
‘I don’t believe they have to knock any components down of the brick area, but because it is timber, it’s unlikely that area will be able to be repaired.
‘They will probably have to replace that section.’
The blaze came just a day before Wednesday’s scheduled race day on the new Caulfield Heath course.
The new course is on the inside of the main course, with that made available by the closure of training facilities at the venue.
It’s also the location of the Caulfield Cup, a key event in the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
More to come…
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