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A suspicious blaze has gutted a notorious Melbourne nightclub, with clouds of thick smoke seen billowing from the premises.
Police said officers were patrolling the area around Malvern Road and Chapel Street in Prahran just after 2am on Thursday when they noticed a fire burning at the Love Machine nightclub.
Fire crews arrived at the scene within four minutes, and found the first floor fully ablaze. Three aerial appliances were also called in for assistance, but an FRV spokesman said all firefighting efforts were “external, due to the difficulty gaining access to the fire”.
Forty-five firefighters and 14 appliances worked to contain the fire throughout the early morning.
The club has been closed for some time, and was empty as flames engulfed the building. There were no reported injuries, but police believe the cause of the blaze is suspicious.
An arson chemist will determine the cause of the fire after it has been completely extinguished.
The fire was deemed under control by 4.25am. A building surveyor from the 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. Power and gas companies have been requested to cut off supplies.
The club has been a magnet for serious violence for more than five years.
A stray bullet narrowly missed Western Bulldogs player Jamarra Ugle-Hagan as he was entering a rideshare vehicle outside the club in August last year. He was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Months earlier, 30-year-old father Ruka Carlson was stabbed to death on Chapel Street after reportedly being chased from Love Machine, following an altercation involving a gun at the premises.
The venue is most infamous for a fatal 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 shots from a 32-calibre assault rifle into the crowd outside.
Three other people were struck by bullets and another was injured trying to avoid the attack.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
With Cameron Houston
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