South Australian police probe alleged arson attack on Adelaide butcher shop
An urgent investigation is ongoing after a butcher’s shop was burned to the ground in an arson attack that probably included a Molotov cocktail, injuring several people.
Emergency services were called to Saray Supermarket and Butchery, located on Henley Beach Rd in Mile End in Adelaide’s inner west, at around 11.30am following reports of a fire.
Police were told three “Asian-looking” men entered the store and started a fire, possibly using Molotov cocktails.
Police said the business was open at the time of the incident and many people inside suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The Metropolitan Fire Department rushed to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire; The fire reportedly caused more than $500,000 in damage to the business.
A neighboring business owner said he helped an injured staff member after the fire broke out.
“All I could see was that poor guy coming out and his skin was black… his skin was peeling off,” he told The Advertiser.
“I took out the towels and water and he just sat there… couldn’t tell me what was wrong.”
Police were later called to a house on Blenheim St in Angle Park after reports a man had suffered burns in a fire caused by a barbecue.
After further investigation, police claimed the man may have been involved in the Mile End fire.
The injured, who were seriously but not life-threatening, were taken to hospital and treated.
This statement comes after the door of a separate butcher’s shop, Corinthian Meats, was broken into and a fire was lit inside on the same street earlier this month.
Police are investigating whether this incident is linked to Operation Eclipse, which targets crimes linked to the illegal tobacco trade.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident and are asking any witnesses who may have seen “suspicious activity” in either area to contact Crime Stoppers.
