Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit Detectives are investigating a fire in Southbank on Thursday afternoon.
After receiving several calls about the blaze at around 4pm, dozens of fire crews were called to the scene of two small factories on Clarendon Street in Southbank.
Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The Victorian Briefing – keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:
Victoria Police said there was no one inside the building when the incident occurred.
It took authorities about one hour to get the fire, while the blaze spread thick plumes of dark smoke across several inner-city suburbs.
FRV controller Mitch Simons told ABC that the fire had been called in by another fire truck that happened to be driving past, and the crew remained at the scene overnight as a precaution.
“That set off a quick response in the city. We’ve got fire stations nearby, so that got a very heavy and quick response to get fire crews on scene,” he said.
Residents in the inner-city suburbs of Albert Park, Docklands, Melbourne, Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, South Wharf, and Southbank were issued an advice alert by Vic Emergency.
Police say the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and an arson chemist attended the scene this morning.
The fire is being considered as suspicious at this stage. Police encourage people with information to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on Listnr today. The Briefing serves up the latest news headlines and a deep dive into a topic affecting you. All in under 20 minutes.