Fire destroys Bright Moon Buddhist Society Temple in Springvale

Daniel Andrews says he will push to get rebuild efforts moving on a Buddhist temple in Melbourne’s southeast after it sustained “heartbreaking” damage in a fire.

Daniel Andrews will personally call the insurer of a Melbourne Buddhist temple ravaged by fire to urge them to get the ball rolling on rebuild efforts.

The Premier on Monday visited the Bright Moon Buddhist Society Temple in Springvale, which went up in flames just after 8pm on Sunday night.

“It was a very significant fire event and the damage is absolutely heartbreaking,” Mr Andrews said.

“It’s tragic and as difficult as it is, no one’s hurt and given the absolutely ferocious nature of that blaze, that’s very welcome news.”

Mr Andrews will on Tuesday directly call the insurer in a bid to ensure recovery and rebuild efforts are swift.

“To urge them to work as fast as they can and do the engineering and other assessments and then to make sure that they work very closely with their policyholder and indeed with us,” he said.

“If there’s anything we can do, we stand ready to do that to get that wonderful facility rebuilt.”

The temple is located on the boundary of Mr Andrews’ Mulgrave electorate.

The remains of the Bright Moon Buddhist Society Temple is a devastating sight.

I spoke with Vinh Ly this afternoon and let him know the thoughts of all Victorians are with the temple community, and especially with members with loved ones’ remains in the temple. pic.twitter.com/sD6MoiPIZc

— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) February 6, 2023

Fears for family ashes

It come amid fears family ashes have been destroyed in the huge inferno.

A fire broke out at the Bright Moon Buddhist Society Temple in Springvale just after 8pm on Sunday and quickly spread throughout the building.

Dozens of fire crews were called to the scene to battle the blaze, with the emergency alert quickly upgraded as the building was fully engulfed.

Victoria Police confirmed on Monday morning that investigations into the cause of the fire were ongoing and it’s unclear whether it was suspiciously lit.

The structure was completely burnt out with just the frame and some sections of the tiled roof standing.

It’s understood hundreds of ashes were stored within the temple but it’s unclear whether any survived the blaze.

Alison Tanner told the Herald Sun her father Dak Sing Louey’s ashes had been inside the building for three years.

“I’m feeling a bit flat and lost,” she said.

The skeleton remains of the temple. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Thousands of ashes were stored inside. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Ms Tanner said the ashes were stored in the left annex of the main building but she was unsure whether they were damaged or not.

Springvale local Xiao Shi, who helped build part of the roof in 2009, said the timber frames would have burnt easily but vowed to help with the reconstruction.

“The whole building is timber in the roof, that’s why it went up so quickly,” he said.

“Hopefully we can build it again, get it back… it will be alright.”

He said there were promising signs some of the ashes would be salvageable as they were stored in the left side of the building, which appeared to cop the least amount of damage.

“The ashes are mainly kept in the left part there, it’s lucky it’s still there,” he added.

Another woman, who asked not to be named, said it would be a “miracle” if her mother-in-law’s ashes were saved.

“It’s coming up to the anniversary of her death,” she said.

“When I saw the news last night, I wasn’t able to sleep.

“If any of the urns can be saved it would be a miracle… it’s just heartbreaking.”

Families who have loved ones’ ashes inside are being asked to give their details to the local MP at the scene in a bid to deliver answers.

“We’re taking details now from people who have urns inside,” MP Meng Tuk told the Herald Sun.

“Then we can give the details to the president who can hopefully be in touch with the families.

“We just want to get things moving … it’s devastating.”

Flames engulfed the building.

The sky was filled with thick, black smoke.

City of Greater Dandenong mayor Eden Foster said she was “extremely devastated”.

“My heart goes out to the Buddhist community,” she said.

“The temple was an icon of Springvale South and a place of worship and gathering for many.”

Footage taken of the fire showed flames rising up to 150m in the air and smoke billowing from the inferno.

People nearby could be heard crying and gasping.

The temple is a well-known landmark in the southeast and is visited regularly by thousands of Buddhism followers in Melbourne.

A resident of a townhouse that backs on to the temple, Joanne Tran, said she was “mortified” when she saw the building engulfed in flames about 8pm.

“I heard yelling and screaming and I looked outside and the whole temple was in flames,” she said.

“Everyone ran to the other side of the road, it was really scary.

“All of the townhouses either side of the temple have been evacuated, we have no idea when we can go home.

“I’m just so thankful the fire didn’t reach our house.”

Ms Tran said she believed the temple were holding a Chinese New Year celebration.

“They usually have firecrackers and candles, the whole works, maybe something caught on fire from that,” she said.

Fire crews worked for hours to contain the blaze. Picture: Josie Hayden

It’s unclear what caused the blaze. Picture: Josie Hayden

Dozens of locals gathered along Springvale Rd to assess the damage as the shell of the building remained.

Resident Matthew Zhang said the community had spent more than five years building the temple through donations.

“The temple has been in this community since late 2014 – to see all of our money and hard work gone is just devastating,” he said.

Fire Rescue Victoria assistant chief fire officer Paul Foster said it took 22 fire appliances and more than 80 firefighters to tackle the blaze.

“We’ve used three aerial appliances to attack the fire, it’s been a very big operation,” he said.

Mr Foster said it was too early to determine the cause of the blaze.