Alleged Pyro Charged Over Costly Racecourse Stand Fire
A man faces multiple charges after a historic racecourse grandstand was set ablaze, causing extensive damage and disruption.
Caulfield, Melbourne, Australia, Arson, Fire, Racecourse
Caulfield: So, there’s been a pretty wild situation at the racecourse. An alleged firebug has been charged after a historic grandstand went up in flames. It’s been a real mess.
The fire hit the Norman Robinson stand on Tuesday morning, and it looks like it’s going to cost millions to fix. That’s a big hit for the place.
A 51-year-old guy got nabbed for lighting four fires on the grounds. He was caught at Mordialloc train station after some grassfires popped up nearby. Talk about bad luck!
This guy, who used to live in Wangaratta, is facing some serious charges—four counts of arson, plus a bunch of other stuff like trespassing and theft. He’s stuck in custody and will be in court soon.
Detective Sergeant Stuart Hough mentioned that they caught him on CCTV at the racecourse, which isn’t great for him. The damage from the fire is pretty significant, and it’s going to take a lot to sort it out.
Fire Rescue Victoria’s Dennis Smith said the fire started in a bar on the first level of the stand. He’s not a builder, but he thinks the damage is definitely in the millions.
They had to move a race meeting that was supposed to happen on Wednesday to Mornington because of all this chaos. The Melbourne Racing Club chairman, John Kanga, reassured everyone that they’ll rebuild the grandstand, but they’re still figuring out the full extent of the damage.
Interestingly, the racecourse is already in the middle of a $300 million redevelopment that started back in 2019. They even sold a chunk of land for a new school campus, and there are plans for a training base for the Melbourne Football Club by 2028.