By Lachlan Abbott and Cassandra Morgan
A 51-year-old man has been charged after a blaze engulfed part of a grandstand at Caulfield Racecourse on Tuesday, as police investigate whether other fires are linked to the incident.
Fire Rescue Victoria said crews responded about 6.20am to the blaze in the Norman Robinson Stand, off Station Street, in Caulfield East, in Melbourne’s south-east.
Police arrested the 51-year-old at Mordialloc train station about 1.45pm after reports of several grassfires in the area.
The man was charged with four counts of arson, two counts of trespass and one count each of burglary, criminal damage and theft.
Police are examining whether the grandstand blaze is linked to a series of fires in and around the residential area near Caulfield Racecourse. They are also looking at whether the blaze is connected to suspicious grassfires near Mordialloc, including near Attenborough Park and reserve in Aspendale.
Detective Sergeant Stuart Hough said police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the fires.
“There was a fire in the Mordialloc area, [the] Nepean Highway at about [12.20pm] today, and some witnesses directed us to him. He was arrested nearby on a train,” Hough said on Tuesday afternoon.
“He lived in the [Caulfield] area a long time ago. He does have a history with police.
“At this stage, I can confirm there’s no links to the racing industry at all.”
Hough said police were investigating four fires in and around Caulfield Racecourse, as well as three grassfires in Mordialloc.
The man’s last known address was in Wangaratta, police said. He is due to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
No one was injured in the fires. On Tuesday afternoon arson chemists were still at the racecourse, which remained under crime scene guard.
“It’s been great work by police today and the local community,” Hough said.
“They spotted him, called it through to triple zero, and we were there quickly, on the scene to arrest him.”
A Melbourne Racing Club spokesperson said the racecourse fire started in The 1876 bar on the first level of the Norman Robinson Stand at the heritage-listed racecourse.
FRV said another bar and an adjoining stand sustained water damage.
MRC chairman John Kanga said the club was gutted by the news.
“It’s a very old stand and a unique stand, and one of our favourite stands for our members,” he said. “So we’re gutted as a club, but we’re keen to rebuild.”
Firefighters at the scene on Tuesday.Credit: Nine News
FRV acting assistant chief fire officer Dennis Smith said the first and second levels of the timber stand were the worst affected, but a quick response from firefighters and the club’s sprinkler system stopped the fire from spreading.
“Considering it’s a historic building and there’s been some damage there, it could’ve been a lot worse,” he said at a press conference at the racecourse.
Smith said a firefighter was taken to hospital with a cut to his hand that would probably require stitches. About 17 fire trucks and more than 70 firefighters battled the blaze.
Earlier, Smith told radio station 3AW that it was difficult to tell if the damage meant part of the stand, which was built in 1960, would need to be knocked down. He said a structural engineer would inspect the site.
FRV incident controller Dennis Smith speaks to the media on Tuesday morning.Credit: Paul Jeffers
“That section will be out of action for quite some time,” Smith said.
“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 fire-affected stand adjoins the main grandstand, and the MRC chairman told radio station SEN his greatest concern after the fire was contained was possible smoke damage to the racecourse’s main pavilion.
When asked if the fire-ravaged stand could be saved from demolition, Kanga said: “I’m not an engineer, but structurally it looks – from the debrief from the fire brigades – like it’s OK.”
Chairman John Kanga at Caulfield Racecourse last October.Credit: Getty Images
Kanga was adamant the stand would be rebuilt to what it was, if not better, regardless of the damage.
Wednesday’s race at Caulfield Heath was cancelled and will instead be held on the Mornington Peninsula. It is not known how long the racecourse will be out of action.
FRV said the blaze was deemed under control at 7.09am.
The advice message that initially covered several neighbouring suburbs was reduced to a community information notice for Caulfield East and Caulfield North at 8.34am.
The grandstand fire adds to the turmoil at the Melbourne Racing Club over the past year.
In October, a rebel group headed by Kanga seized control of the board, scuppering the previous board’s contentious proposal to sell Sandown Racecourse to developers so that it could become a 7500-home suburb.
The new leadership group also vowed to move the new Caulfield mounting yard back to its original position in front of the members’ stand and abandon plans to build a new $250 million grandstand.
Other major developments involving the racecourse include the Melbourne Demons’ plan to build a $100 million training base inside the track, and Mount Scopus Memorial College’s $195 million purchase of adjacent land to build a new campus.
Tuesday’s fire is not the first time the racecourse’s stands have gone up in flames. In the early hours of October 23, 1922, the members’ grandstand was burned to the ground in suspicious circumstances on the morning of the Caulfield Cup, The Age reported at the time.
No arrest was ever made, but it was rumoured the police believed notorious Melbourne gangster Leslie “Squizzy” Taylor was involved after an incident at the racecourse three days earlier.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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