Arsonist sets himself on fire during attack on Lux Nightclub on Chapel St in South Yarra
An arsonist has set himself on fire while torching a South Yarra nightclub in one of three suspicious blazes to erupt across Melbourne. Now police have appealed to the public for information, warning “someone will eventually die”.
Victoria
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A bumbling arsonist has been filmed setting himself alight moments after he torched a popular South Yarra nightclub, one of three suspicious blazes to erupt across Melbourne overnight.
Footage obtained exclusively by the Herald Sun shows three masked men, carrying jerry cans, entering the Lux Nightclub on Chapel St about 1.50am on Thursday.
The trio, wearing all black, exit a small blue hatchback before storming the nightclub and dousing it with an accelerant.
Minutes later, one of the arsonists is seen running from the building with flames covering both arms and his right leg.
He attempts to put the flames out by stomping his feet on the ground before his accomplice pats him down on the street.
Another offender was captured pouring more accelerant from a red jerry can onto the footpath before the three offenders return to their vehicle, which was left running.
The trio then sped off, heading north along Chapel St toward Richmond.
Eyewitness Erik Lund was walking home after having a quiet beer when he made the startling discovery of masked men breaking in to Lux.
Stopping in his tracks, a short time later Mr Lund saw the arsonists come streaming out of the club.
One of them had set himself on fire.
“I saw some guy kicking this shutter and then I realised something was actually happening, not just vandalism,” Mr Lund said.
“(I saw) them running in, breaking in, the alarm started going off, and then it’s like quiet for a minute, then suddenly they all came running out with fire on their hands and clothes and behind them and everything.
“When I walked past after, I saw what looked like a sledgehammer first, but I think it was an axe.”
Mr Lund only learnt triple-0 was the correct number for emergency services yesterday having arrived in Australia from Norway two weeks ago.
He called the authorities to alert them to the blaze.
The firey introduction to life in Melbourne was a bit of a shock for Mr Lund.
“I come from a small town, so a lot of my filming and stuff is documenting to my family back there, because none of us have seen anything like this,” he said.
He said his family back home were “a bit” worried but knew he could handle himself.
Nobody was inside the building at the time but a neighbouring clothes shop was damaged in the blaze.
Detective Inspector Chris Murray, Arson and Explosives Squad made an appeal to the public for assistance on Thursday, including medical professionals who may have treated patients for burns.
They are also wanting to speak to any pharmacists who may have sold burn treatments to customers in the past 12 hours.
Insp Murray said it was only a matter of time before civilians, not just arsonists, were injured or killed in one of these firebombings.
“The behaviour of these offenders is nothing short of frightening,” he said.
“While I know some people think it’s funny to see people light themselves on fire in situations like this, the reality is that we could have had a number of people killed as a result of this fire.
“We have said it before and we’ll say it again – it is only sheer luck that stands between a fire that damages a property and a fire that kills dozens of people.
“Fire is absolutely uncontrollable and the sheer recklessness of this offending is just abhorrent.”
“Someone will eventually die from these mindless arsonists who give no thought to the deadly consequences of their actions.
“Businesses and livelihoods are being destroyed, landlords’ insurance premiums are skyrocketing due to these lunatic arsonists that are getting paid pittance to commit these crimes that will more than likely kill some innocent person sooner or later.”
Lux’s liquor licence is held by the same hospitality group that also holds the licence for the Love Machine club in Prahran, the scene of an infamous shooting in 2019 carried out by the son of notorious crime boss Nabil Maghine.
Fire crews continued to pump water into the building well into Thursday morning, while Chapel St remained closed to traffic.
Gary Sandhu, who owns the nearby Black Magic bar, said he went outside to see dozens of firefighters and “a big fire in the sky” about 3am.
Mr Sandhu said he feared the attack would put people off coming to Chapel St.
“It’s bad for everybody,” he said.
“Chapel St is already struggling, so we need people to come here and it (the fire) is not good.”
Acting Assistant chief fire officer Mitch Simons said Lux would need a “complete rebuild”.
“(Fire crews) found the premises on the second floor was fully alight with flames starting to go through the roof,” he told 3AW.
“They escalated it to what we call a third alarm, which got 15 fire trucks and 50 firefighters on the road from the city and surrounding suburbs.
“It’s a complete rebuild, fire engulfed the whole area of the nightclub and in the roof.
“Once the windows broke and the air got in, the fire really took hold through the roof then there was not much we could do.
“All our firefighters got out without any injuries and no injuries to the public.”
Smoke continued to billow from the Lux building shortly before 7.30am on Thursday.
Firefighters operating from a mobile tower doused the gutted nightclub with water to prevent any flames reigniting.
A community warning was issued due to the amount of smoke from the fire.
The fire has been officially declared suspicious.
Shops attacked in Caroline Springs, Coolaroo
The Lux Nightclub was set alight just minutes after two separate Middle Eastern cafes were firebombed in Melbourne’s north and west.
A car was driven into the Fayrouz Cafe on Caroline Springs Boulevard before it was set alight just after 3am.
The cafe suffered extensive damage in the blaze but a dozen apartments above the burnt-out cafe and vehicle appeared to have avoided serious damage.
Dozens of residents above the Fayrouz Cafe were forced to evacuate and many of their belongings have been damaged by smoke and water.
It is understood those residents have also been told to find alternate accommodation as the building’s structure remains unstable.
Detectives will probe if the fire at Lux and blaze at Fayrouz Cafe are connected to a third firebombing in Melbourne’s north.
The Kasr Sweets cafe on Somerton Rd in Coolaroo was rammed by a vehicle and partially set alight about 1.10am.
The “Lebanese Sweets & Cafe”, situated in the Roxburgh Plaza, remained cordoned off on Thursday morning.
“Emergency services were called to Somerton Road, Coolaroo about 1.10am after reports a car had been driven into a confectionery store and a fire occurred,” police said in a statement.
“Fire crews extinguished the blaze which damaged the store and nearby premises. Fortunately no one was injured.
“Police will investigate whether the incident is linked to any other recent incidents.”
Fayrouz Cafe and Kasr Sweets could not be contacted for comment.
Arson has, in recent months, emerged as a favoured tool among those with disputes.
It is a relatively cost-effective way to wage war on potential business rivals or those who may owe others money.
Teenage arsonists can be handed as little as $300 cash and only require a jerry can, petrol and getaway vehicle.
Hiring arsonists also eliminates the need to carry a firearm around town.
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