CCTV footage shows wild moment tobacco shop set on fire

Shocking CCTV footage has emerged of a man appearing to accidentally set himself on fire as he torches a tobacco shop on Boxing Day.

CCTV footage has revealed the moment a tobacco store went up in flames, leaving the alleged arsonist partially on fire as they fled the scene on Boxing Day.

Emergency services were called to a tobacco store on Wickham St in Fortitude Valley about 3.30am on Thursday morning following reports of a building on fire.

Surveillance footage shows the moment the man entered the tobacco shop wearing a mask and armed with a jerry can.

The owner of the tobacco shop wrestled the alleged suspect before the building was set alight.

The alleged suspect re-entered the shop and set it alight.

Shortly afterwards, the tobacco shop owner can be seen wrestling the alleged arsonist before he runs off.

While a spokesperson for Queensland Police said no one was “physically harmed as a result of the fire”, the CCTV reveals the alleged arsonist set himself partially alight as he fled the store.

Police said the footage also revealed a person throwing a flaming shoe out of the car window a “short distance down the road” as they left the scene, leading authorities to believe they may have suffered burns.

“The footage is a little bit grainy but it does indicate the (suspect) may have burnt himself or his clothes may have caught fire as he exited the store,” Brisbane Regional Duty Officer Inspector Jane Healy said.

“Given the state of the shoe that was found, it’s possible that he might have some significant burns.”

The tobacco shop was destroyed in the fire.

It’s understood the tobacco shop, which was gutted by the fire, had opened only two or three weeks before the alleged attack.

Authorities are now investigating whether the attack was targeted or has any links to organised crime.

“We’ve had a number of tobacco stores that have been targeted,” Inspector Healy said.

“We can’t confirm whether or not this is one of those stores being targeted, but that link is being investigated.”

The owner of the tobacco shop is not accused of any wrongdoing and has been co-operating with police about the incident.

A crime scene has been established and authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Witnesses or anyone with information is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.