Police and fire authorities have called in arson investigators after a school uniform business in Hallam was completely destroyed by a suspicious fire early Thursday morning, 26 June.
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) reported that crews arrived at the blaze on the corner of Princes Highway and Wedgewood Road at 12.18am, where they found the 400-square-metre building already engulfed in flames.
Seventy-five firefighters from FRV and CFA, supported by 15 appliances, battled for more than three hours to control the fire.
Victoria Police have confirmed the fire is being treated as suspicious. An arson chemist attended the site later in the day to investigate.
According to an ABC Radio report, the fire is the third to hit businesses in the Hallam area in recent months.
In June, Nitro Gym was destroyed in an arson attack, and another business, just three doors down from Beleza, was gutted in a separate incident.
A nearby business owner told ABC they are struggling to cope with soaring insurance premiums, which have increased from $75,000 to $500,000.
The business owners fear the prospect of being the next property to go up in flames.
A grandmother, Fay Lewas, who had arrived just before 9am to collect uniforms for her grandchildren, was left stunned by the destruction.
“I came to pick up three sets of uniforms for my grandchildren,” she said.
“We don’t know where we’re going to get our uniforms from now.”
Though the fire is under control, FRV is now working with council to make sure the remains of the building are safe.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Greg Christison, said “we have concerns around structural integrity at the moment, hence we’ve got that exclusion zone around the factory.”
Asst CFO Christison is unsure how long this process will take.
“It could be four hours, it could be all day.”
Any information or footage to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au
