150 people have been forced to evacuate overnight after a fire broke out at an abandoned warehouse on Spencer Steet in West Melbourne. Emergency services remain at the scene with the massive blaze taking approximately two-and-a-half hours to bring under control. About 150 residents of an adjacent apartment block were also forced to evacuate and find alternative accommodation.
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TVTranscript
00:00Well just before 2 o'clock this morning a huge fire broke out and fully engulfed an
00:06abandoned warehouse here in West Melbourne.
00:09Now neighbouring that warehouse is a 14 storey apartment complex and the fire forced the
00:14evacuation of around 150 residents.
00:17Residents this morning say they were panicked and had to wait on the street until around
00:204.30 this morning before they were able to get back into their homes.
00:25They say the smell of smoke still lingers in their apartments and that it was a very
00:28frightening and sleepless night.
00:30Here's what they had to say.
00:32Like everyone was shocked and shaking, you know, like didn't know what to do.
00:35It was scary.
00:36It's like four hours.
00:37We were staying here waiting for police and the firefighters to finish their job.
00:43The flames were so large at the warehouse it took fire crews around two and a half hours
00:47to control it but luckily no one was injured.
00:51At this point the fire is being treated as suspicious and an arson chemist will be on
00:55the scene to try and determine the causes of the blaze today.
00:59One side of Spencer Street remains blocked off in the city but anyone with information
01:03is being urged at this point to please contact Crimestoppers.