Blaze rips through Prahran nightclub
Updated ,first published
Police are investigating whether a suspicious fire at a popular Melbourne nightclub is linked to a series of arson attacks involving organized crime gangs.
Police said officers were on patrol in the area of Malvern Road and Chapel Street in Prahran just after 2am on Thursday when they were alerted to a fire at the Love Machine nightclub.
Fire crews arrived at the scene within 4 minutes and found the first floor completely engulfed in flames. Three aircraft were also called to assist, but an FRV spokesman said all firefighting efforts were “external due to difficulty accessing the fire”.
The club remained empty as the flames engulfed the building. No injuries were reported, but police consider the cause of the fire suspicious.
The arson expert will determine the cause of the fire after it is completely extinguished.
The club has been a magnet for serious violence for more than five years and has been closed since its forced closure in November last year due to liquor license concerns.
Acting Inspector Kim Bramwell said police had a number of leads, including CCTV and footage of vehicles leaving the area.
“We have had some police interactions with the Love Machine. [owners] over the last 12 months. “Everything is on the table right now,” he said.
He said there were also some problems with organized crime.
He said the front roller door was “slammed with some force” to gain access to the property, but investigators have not yet had a chance to enter the building to determine the cause.
Forty-five firefighters and 14 equipment worked to bring the fire under control in the early morning hours. The fire was brought under control at 04.25. A building surveyor from Stonnington Council will assess the site later in the day.
Malvern Road remains closed to traffic and trams in both directions between Chapel Street and Surrey Road. Electricity and gas companies were asked to cut off supply.
The club is owned by Sterling Nightclubs Pty Ltd. A phone number belonging to Sterling Nightclubs manager Dhir Kakar “is not currently accepting phone calls.”
Several businesses were affected by the fire, including a dental clinic where Bramwell said he was expecting patients Thursday.
“They’re just devastated,” he said. “We’re very lucky that this happened on a weeknight, overnight, rather than on a weekend, especially since Chapel Street is such a thriving entertainment district. We’re very lucky that no one was there and no one got hurt. That’s our savior right now.”
“But there could have been people there. There were other businesses there that could have had people there. So we’re very lucky.”
“We will take them [those responsible]“We will find them, identify them and take them through the justice system,” he said.
In August last year, Western Bulldogs player Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was narrowly missed by a stray bullet as he entered a carpool outside the club. He was cleared of all crimes.
Months earlier, 30-year-old father Ruka Carlson was stabbed to death on Chapel Street after he was reportedly chased from the Love Machine following an argument over gunfire at the scene.
The location was infamous for the deadly drive-by shooting in 2019. In that incident, security guard Aaron Khalid Osmani, 37, and patron Richard Arow, 28, were killed when Jacob Elliott fired a .32-caliber assault rifle into the crowd outside.
Elliott, 18, and Allan Fares, 22, were found guilty of two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder for the shooting.
Elliott is the estranged son of slain cyclist Nabil Maghnie, whose murder remains unsolved.
Anyone with information about Thursday’s fire is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Cameron Houston and Marta Pascual with Juanola
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