Shoppers flee Kmart store in Melbourne after deliberately lit fire triggers emergency response
Hundreds of shoppers have been evacuated from a shopping complex in Melbourne’s west after a fire broke out at a Kmart store.
Police say the emergency was sparked when several clothing racks were deliberately set alight, forcing about 200 shoppers to flee the store at Altona Gate about 4pm on Tuesday.
The fire, which was about “5m by 5m” in size, triggered internal sprinklers and emergency services were able to bring it under control within 20 minutes.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.All people within the centre at the time have been accounted for and no one was injured.
Firefighters were met with “extensive smoke” and say it was initially “difficult” to know where the blaze had started.
The incident has been deemed suspicious.
“(I was) quite panicked because you don’t think that something like this can happen,” one shopper told 7NEWS.
A spokesperson for centre owners Vicinity said: “The safety of our customers, retailers and teams is our first priority”.
“We are planning the centre will be open as usual (on Wednesday),” a spokesperson said.
Police are investigating and have appealed for information.
A community advice warning was issued due to smoke in the area.
Originally published on 7NEWS
