Bridge Rd tobacco shop latest to be destroyed in overnight firebombing

Detectives are probing an arson attack on Bridge Rd after a tobacco store on the busy Richmond shopping strip was totally destroyed by a blaze overnight.

Detectives are investigating a tobacco store fire in Richmond in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The Bridge Rd store was firebombed just before 4am which caused enormous damage to the smoke shop on the busy shopping strip.

The entire shopfront was completely destroyed and the shop’s sign was burnt beyond recognition.

Glass was left shattered all over the ground and a crime scene has been established.

Lunar detectives have deemed the fire suspicious and investigations are ongoing.

The smoke shop had only been open for a few months before it was razed by fire.

The two shops next door suffered only minor damage and were able to resume trading on Saturday morning.

A Bridge Rd tobacco store fully alight on Saturday night. Picture: Supplied

Emergency crews tackle the shop fire. Picture: Supplied

Detectives at the scene of the firebombing on Bridge Rd. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

CCTV showed a group outside the store before it burst into flames.

A small red vehicle, which had been parked on the street, then took off moments after the blaze engulfed the building.

It is understood there was someone sleeping in the apartment above but they were able to escape.

Richmond locals said the shop sold strange items, as well as tobacco, and were not shocked to hear of the firebombing.

“I’m certainly not surprised, it’s been a very strange sort of shop,” local Louise Kelly said.

“It had the weirdest things in it, god knows what they do with them.

“It is never, ever open and it has been there a good two, three months.

“I’m not surprised, when is this going to end?”

Manager of Little Frenchie & Co Sam Razis said he was appalled at the offender’s act.

Mr Razis said his baker had been working early in the morning before the shop was torched.

“The situation is really crap, Little Frenchie is our business, it’s our livelihood, so to come so close to disaster is pretty awful,” he said.

“Our baker was here overnight and he heard a window smash, smelt smoke and called authorities straight away.

“It’s absolutely terrifying.”

Police probe the circumstances surrounding the attack. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Shattered glass litters the footpath after the attack. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The burnt-out shop front on Saturday morning after the blaze. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

A number of key arrests made by Lunar detectives in recent weeks have coincided with the steady decline in the amount of shop fires across town.

Maytham Hamad, brother of exiled crime boss Kazem, was arrested in Perth last month over his alleged role in directing the fiery chaos in Victoria from Western Australia.

He was branded a “puppeteer” for his brother, who is living in the Middle East and are fierce rivals of the Haddara family.

Fadi Haddara largely controlled Melbourne’s illicit smoke trade for years but has had the heat turned up on him in the past 12 months, with several of his smoke shops torched in a similar way.

Lunar detectives are investigating well over 70 suspicious and targeted fires connected to the smoke trade.

Anyone with information regarding Saturday’s blaze is being urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.