Sunshine College: Residents angry after four fires at abandoned school

Emergency services were called to a school fire in Melbourne’s west, the third in as many months, as residents complain nothing is being done to prevent them.

Police are investigating after a building at a condemned high school in Melbourne’s west was damaged in a “suspicious” fire overnight.

Emergency services were called to the former Sunshine College Ardeer campus in Sunshine West at 8.40pm last night.

A Fire Rescue Victoria spokesman said crews arrived to find a building “well alight” at the Glengala Rd address.

“Wearing breathing apparatus, crews attacked the blaze to bring it under control within an hour,” he said.

On Thursday, arson investigators attended the scene to begin investigating the cause of the fire.

“Fire crews extinguished the blaze and it is currently being treated as suspicious,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.

“A crime scene guard is in place and an arson chemist will attend.”

The campus has been the site of four fires over the past seven months, destroying much of the buildings on the property.

Last month, nearby resident Ross Gelman said neighbours were “sick and tired” of issues at the school and wanted more to be done to prevent people lingering around the area.

“You see people hanging around the block all the time, it’s been covered in tags and graffiti,” he said.

“Everyone around here is worried the next fire might spread to their homes.”

An Education Department spokeswoman said the campus had been earmarked for demolition shortly.

The local community and council have been informed about the demolition works,” she said.

“Post demolition, the land will be reinstated as open space and the site will be accessible by the general public for recreational purposes, pending its future reactivation for education use.”

She declined to answer whether additional security would be implemented to prevent further fires.

Crime Stoppers can be reached on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.