Fire rips through multiple restaurants near Footscray Market on Hopkins St

At least seven businesses have been affected by a fire that tore through a Footscray street on Tuesday night. Watch the video.

UPDATED:

At least five businesses have been significantly damaged and at least two totally destroyed after a blaze in Footscray on Tuesday night.

The shops affected include a number of restaurants, a coffee shop, a vape store and a bottle shop.

Owners and staff attended the wreckage of their beloved stores on Wednesday morning and afternoon to assess the damage and find out about how long they will need to wait to re-open.

Businesses have been cordoned off in Footscray after a blaze ripped through a block of shops on Tuesday night.

At least two businesses have been destroyed.

They watched on as their shop fronts were barricaded and temporary fencing was put up around their businesses.

While a CFA spokesperson said investigations were ongoing, workers from an impacted business who wished to not be identified said they were told the fire started following an electrical fault.

It is understood the blaze started following an electrical fault at the Viet Hot Pot restaurant on the corner of Moore St and Hopkins St and continued through half a dozen businesses reaching beside the Okami restaurant.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the incident was not being treated as suspicious and fire authorities were the lead agency responding to the incident.

The cause of the

EARLIER:

Firefighters spent over an hour tackling a late night blaze which ripped through restaurants near Footscray Market.

Emergency crews were called to the restaurants near the corner of Hopkins St and Moore St about 11pm Tuesday, following several calls to triple-0.

Firefighters arrived and witnessed fire billowing from vents above a restaurant, before residents in nearby buildings were also evacuated.

It is understood multiple businesses have been impacted by the blaze, including Viet Hot Pot & Barbecue, Chicken Joah, Cellarbrations, 2hi cafe, and Okami Japanese.

Images posted on social media showed thick black smoke surrounding apartments, and according to Twitter account Peak Hour Images, 11 people were evacuated.

A restaurant fire led to heavy smoke and evacuations in Hopkins St, Footscray on February 21, 2023. Picture: @PeakHourImages/Twitter.

Firefighters remain on scene after a fire at a restaurant in Hopkins St, Footscray late on February 21, 2023. Picture: @cheldab_/Twitter

The fire was eventually brought under control by 1am, and crews remain on scene this morning monitoring for hot spots.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and investigators remained at the scene on Wednesday morning.