Fire erupts at Caulfield Racecourse grandstand
A suspicious fire has caused significant damage to the grandstand at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne’s east.
The fire brigade was called to the course just before 6.20 am on Tuesday due to reports of a fire at the monumental location.
Footage from the scene, posted to social media at around 7am, shows flames tearing through the first floor of the east side of the main stand as firefighters doused it with water.
A spokesperson for Fire Rescue Victoria said firefighters arrived on scene and escalated their response to ‘third alarm’, which meant additional crews were called in.
“Crews worked quickly to contain the fire to the center building and the incident was deemed under control at 7:09 a.m.,” the spokesperson said.
Victoria Police have launched an investigation into the fire, which they described as ‘suspicious’.
“No one was injured and the area was safely evacuated,” police said in a statement.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
Police 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 at The 1876 Bar on Level 1 of the Norman Robinson Stand.
No staff were injured, which is great. There’s a lot of smoke and a lot of water coming through,” club president John Kanga said on RSN radio.
‘I don’t know yet (what the damage is). There is no damage to the track, it is limited to the grandstand.’
A warning for local residents to stay indoors was lifted by Fire Rescue Victoria after the fire was determined to be ‘under control’.
“There is no current threat to the community, but you should remain informed and continue to monitor conditions,” the alert said.
Victoria Fire Brigade Dennis Smith said there are fears parts of the wooden stand may have to be demolished.
“That section will be out of action for quite some time,” Mr Smith told 3AW on Tuesday morning.
‘I don’t believe they need to demolish parts of the brick area, but as it is wood it is unlikely this area can be repaired.
“They’ll probably have to replace that part.”
The fire started just a day before Wednesday’s scheduled race day on the new Caulfield Heath course.
The new track is located on the inside of the main course and has become available due to the closure of training facilities at the site.
It is also the location of the Caulfield Cup, a major event in the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
More to come…