Gangland firebombings leave damage bill in hundreds of millions of dollars, four deaths and trail of destruction

Rampant gangland firebombings have left a trail of destruction resulting in four deaths and a damage bill running into the hundreds of millions.

Rampant gangland firebombings have left a damage bill running into hundreds of millions of dollars over the past two years.

Four people have died in the unprecedented wave of torchings which has spread as major crime figures turn to fire as their main means of attacking their enemies, driving up insurance premiums in the process.

There were more than 130 arsons carried out during conflict involving combatants in the illicit smoke trade since March, 2023.

But a vast range of other locations have also been hit as the tactic is employed to menace foes, hurt their business interests or extort money.

Factories, auto workshops, gymnasiums, restaurants and cosmetics businesses have emerged as favoured targets.

Strip clubs, acai stores, trucks at depots, ice creameries, reception centres, barber shops, pet shops and piling rigs owned by construction industry figures have also gone up in flames.

Criminals have zeroed in on the private homes of underworld figures, standover victims and, in some cases, the wrong people.

Arson attacks, including one in Braeside, have caused hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage. Picture: Paint and Panel.

The attacks are always carried out at night, frequently in the few hours before dawn.

Sources say there are many potential recruits willing to take a pittance to destroy property.

Target addresses are provided and the only skill required is the ability to fill a jerry can and operate a cigarette lighter, police say.

“It’s Crimetasker,” one police source said.

Multiple cosmetics businesses have come under attack, the most recent last week when one in Toorak Rd was hit.

Scores of vehicles, many of them high-end European models, have been incinerated after being driven into businesses and set alight or blown up afterwards to destroy evidence.

There have also been two attacks on synagogues, one suspected of being orchestrated by organised crime figures.

Both sides of politics pledged upwards of $30m to rebuild the Adass house of worship in Ripponlea after it was burnt in December last year.

Cosmetic businesses have now been targeted in the wave of attacks. Picture: Supplied

Aesthetica Cosmetic Clinic on Toorak Rd was razed earlier this month. Picture: David Crosling

The Herald Sun has been told the Lux Nightclub blaze a month earlier had a damage bill of $20m.

Police believe the same vehicle was used for the Lux and synagogue crimes.

The damage bill for blind factories Bayswater and Kilsyth which were wrecked by fire in December last year and January this year came in at beyond $25m.

The toll has been tragic as well as financial.

Katie Tangey, 27, died in January this year when a blaze lit by arsonists engulfed the Truganina home of her brother as she house-sat it.

Police later found the crime was directed at the wrong address and are exploring whether it was ignited on the orders of organised crime figures involved in the city’s tobacco wars.

Two teens have been charged with a Sunshine North panel shop blaze in February last year which killed a 42-year-old father-of-three and a 48-year-old man who had been sleeping in the building.

A court later heard allegations those charged were paid $4000 by an unidentified prisoner to set the building alight.

Last month, a suspected arsonist died from burns he suffered five months after being part of a team which set fire to the Golden Lounge dessert and juice bar on Chapel St, Prahran.

His accomplices sped from the scene in a car despite the victim being “visibly on fire”, police said.

Detective Insp. Chris Murray of the arson squad said police had forecast the tragic consequences.

“Over the last two years, we issued repeated warnings about the dangers of fire and the potential for someone to be killed as a direct result of these arson attacks. We tragically saw that prediction play out a number of times,” he said.

Leader of the opposition, Peter Dutton at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, which was targeted in a firebombing. Picture: Tony Gough

The impact was also being heavily felt in monetary terms, Insp. Murray said.

He said businesses and livelihoods were being destroyed and insurance premiums had skyrocketed.

“What we say to individuals who are putting their hands up for a few hundred dollars to commit these offences: you may be facing a charge of murder, or you may be facing life-changing injuries or even death yourself,” Insp. Murray said.

“It is not worth it and we treat every single one of these investigations with the seriousness they deserve.”

Originally published as Gangland firebombings leave damage bill in hundreds of millions of dollars, four deaths and trail of destruction