Police say fire at abandoned Goldfingers site not suspicious

Police have provided an update on the inferno at the former strip club in Lonsdale St after scouring through the ashes.

Police say the inferno at the ex-Goldfingers site is not being treated as suspicious - and they have confirmed there were no human remains found in the building.

The former landmark Melbourne strip club caught on fire in the early hours of Tuesday.

Authorities initially feared several squatters may have perished in the blaze.

However on Thursday night, Victoria Police said in a statement no human remains were located during the search.

The statement said: “Arson and Explosive Squad have investigated the scene and deemed the fire not to be suspicious.”

Firefighters extinguish hot spots at the ex-Goldfingers strip club. Picture: Ian Currie

The major CBD intersection remains closed. Picture: Ian Currie

Bags containing asbestos lie on the footpath as rescuers continue securing the site. Picture: Ian Currie

Odd behaviour observed before fire

A witness has described seeing a person throwing flaming objects from the ex-Goldfingers site moments before it went up in flames on Tuesday.

The flames were ignited on the second storey of the site about 12.15am.

The intensity of the inferno pumped smoke into the sky and shattered windows.

A witness, who did not wish to be named, told Today she saw suspicious behaviour inside before the inferno took hold.

“It didn’t just go up in a moment’s notice,” she told Today.

“Like someone was in there, like up to no good.”

Firefighters arrived at the abandoned building at the intersection of Lonsdale and King streets within four minutes to find the upper levels well alight.

The witness, who called triple-0, said she did not see the person escape the building as the fire took hold.

Central district operations commander Mitch Simons said the fire was so ferocious that anyone trapped inside the building had “little to no chance of surviving”.

“Any human remains are potentially severely fire affected, so it’ll just take time and effort (for) human remains (to be) identified and retrieved,” Mr Simons said.

While three people were registered as squatters at the site, Mr Simons said the nature of homelessness made it impossible to predict how many people may have been inside the building.

“I think it’s a really timely reminder that if people have people that are sleeping rough they should reach out to them and provide any support that they can.”

Mr Simons said he was not aware of a person throwing flaming objects from the site.

“We haven’t had any reports from any witnesses like that,” he said.

“My advice is that if people have got that sort of information, they contact the police and come forward.”

It took 50 firefighters 90 minutes to bring the blaze under control.

Firefighters appear to have saved most of the facade of the more than 100-year-old building, but the interior was largely gutted.

A temporary fence was erected around the site as a safety measure on Wednesday, while authorities have not yet ruled out a possible structural collapse of part of the facade.

Demolitions crews began tearing down the most damaged sections of the facade around 2pm, in what has been described as a “delicate deconstruction”.

It comes after a small drone was flown through the building’s side door on Tuesday morning to assess whether it was safe for crews to head inside.

Demolition crews have begun tearing down the former Goldfingers strip club after a suspicious blaze tore through the site on Tuesday. It is still not known whether several squatters perished in the blaze. Lonsdale St remains closed both ways. @theheraldsunpic.twitter.com/VyxwcS501v

— Laura Placella (@lauraplacella) May 25, 2022

Flames were sent shooting into the sky.

Goldfingers spanned three buildings, with the building to the right of the Kilkenny Inn suffering the most damage.

“The blaze caused major damage to the building and a crime scene has been set up,” a Victoria Police spokesman said.

Earlier, Central district operations commander Mitch Simons said the fire was being treated as suspicious.

“At this stage, we’re currently considering it to be suspicious until we can come up with another cause,” Mr Simons said.

“There’s some circumstances around the fire that crews discovered early that … have allowed us to take that conclusion.

“It’s unusual for a fire to start without any power to the building.”

The abandoned ex-Goldfingers site went up in flames overnight. Picture: Akalanka Sameera

The CBD was shrouded in smoke as the fire raged. Picture: Akalanka Sameera

He said the second storey of the premises, also the top storey, had been “completely destroyed”.

“There was a roof collapse, which made the job fairly difficult and dangerous for firefighters,” he said.

Mr Simons said a laneway helped to save the building to the left of the former strip club, while firefighters were able to work to save the building to the right.

Authorities say it is too early to determine the cause of the blaze.

King St has reopened northbound and southbound.

Lonsdale St remains closed between King and Spencer streets.

Motorists are being urged to use Spencer or La Trobe streets as alternatives, allowing extra time through the area.

There are also disruptions for bus and tram services through the CBD.

Matthew Blandford from Fire Rescue Victoria said this was one of the biggest blazes Melbourne’s CBD had seen “for some time”.

Firefighters continue to douse hot spots on Tuesday. Picture: Ian Currie

Fire investigators will be on scene to determine the cause of the blaze. Picture: Ian Currie

Urban explorers have been trespassing at the site since its closure, uploading their expedition to social media.

The closure of the Goldfingers Mens Club in late 2020 helped make way for a $100 million development at the intersection of King and Lonsdale streets.

Plans for an 80m high office and retail building towering above the historic Kilkenny Inn were given the green light by the City of Melbourne in 2021.

Goldfingers, which occupied the Kilkenny Inn site as well as two other buildings, was opened in 1997 by prominent industry figure Ray Bartlett.

But when Mr Bartlett, known to some as the Lord of the Lapdance, died in 2013, its future became uncertain.

It was reported in 2019 that businessmen Eddie Hirsch and Avi Silver had sold Goldfingers for $50m.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.