Hundreds evacuated from sports bar after fire at Cranbourne racecourse
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from a sports bar after a fire, which was likely sparked by a cigarette, forced the races to a halt at the Cranbourne Cup.
Victoria
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About 500 people have been evacuated from a sports bar in Victoria’s southeast after a garden bed fire likely sparked by a discarded cigarette.
The fire broke out near Trios Sports Club — temporarily pausing the nearby Cranbourne Cup — on Saturday afternoon and one man was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
Crews extinguished the fire but a second, unrelated grass fire, now extinguished, began in a grass field nearby less than an hour later.
An FRV spokesman said emergency services first responded to a tree fire in garden bed on Grant St shortly before 1.30pm, with the bar filled with smoke.
Things are heating up on track 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/YtOJRH6bIm
— JH (@jh1gg1ns) November 23, 2024
“Firefighters arrived on scene within five minutes to find a grass and scrub fire, with a building heavily smoke logged,” he said.
“Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, however, initial indications are that it may have started from a discarded cigarette.”
Crews brought the fire under control within nine minutes.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesman said a man in his 30s was taken to the Casey Hospital in a stable condition for smoke inhalation.
The smoke could be seen by racegoers next door at the Cranbourne Turf Club, where the Cranbourne Cup was under way.
Racegoers said they could smell the smoke and saw the ashes.
Club general manager Luke King said the fire was “disappointing”.
“It’s disappointing – it’s the biggest day of the year,” Mr King said.
“Having said that, nobody has been injured and that’s main thing.”
The second grass fire broke out in a nearby grass field at about 2pm.
The Cranbourne CFA Unit was called to the scene and extinguished the fire.
Crews have remained on scene for observation and the cause is under investigation.
Police were also on scene to assist.
The Trio Sports Bar has been closed for a couple of hours while crews ventilate the building, but the Cranbourne Cup — which was temporarily paused due to the smoke — has resumed.
Cranbourne reached a temperature of 36C on Saturday.
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