Arson squad detectives investigating the suspicious fire at the TLC digital/Signarama factory in west Melbourne are reviewing CCTV footage taken in the lead-up to the blaze that caused hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage.
Someone broke into the premises at 81-85 Ireland St on Saturday night and set fire to several bins of recycled paper in the Signarama section of the business. A jerry can was found at the scene.
The fire brigade and police were called around 8.45pm after residents noticed smoke pouring out of the building. Thirty firefighters in breathing gear took almost two hours to bring the blaze under control, with the help of the building’s sprinkler system. No one was injured but police issued a warning for residents in north and west Melbourne over concerns about smoke inhalation.
Victoria police are treating the fire as suspicious and appealed for help from anyone who may have witnessed any unusual activity in the area around Ireland Street on Saturday night.
They're now reviewing CCTV footage taken from the North Melbourne train station, which is directly opposite the factory, and are canvasing businesses in the area searching for any other surveillance video from the time leading up to the blaze.
"I've taken a quick walk through the factory and it's a molten mess," said TLC sales manager Anthony Arimatea. 'We've lost all of the wide format equipment in the Signarama area, which was shared between the two businesses, and the rest of the machines have suffered a lot of soot and water damage. Some of the machines are just melted and some of them look okay but we won't know the full extent of the damage until we can get the power back on in a couple of weeks.
"It wasn't a random attack," said Arimatea. "They forced their way in and set fire to all of the recycled paper bins. The firemen and police have probably got their thoughts but it's up to them to determine what happened."
In the meantime, TLC's satellite operation at Mordialloc in Melbourne's south-east is running double shifts to accommodate customer demand.
"We want our customers to know that our Mordialloc site is fully operational and will be handling all west Melbourne’s lamination, spot UV, forme cutting jobs and other select products and services until further notice," he said. "It's all hands on deck right now. We have our staff from west Melbourne here and we're running two shifts with everyone chipping in to do their bit. We'd like to thank everyone for all of their kind and continued support. We want our clients to know that we're still here and our doors are still open."
The Mordialloc site is located at 51 DeHavilland Rd. Phone (03) 9580 8900 or email mordialloc@tlc.net.au
TLC owner Barry Webster was out of town on a fishing trip with friends when the fire happened. "I'm with the insurance people right now sifting through the damage," said Webster, when contacted on Thursday morning.
"People are running around and we're transferring work to other plants and just working through this. We want to thank our clients and hope they keep supporting us."
Signarama national director Evan Foster said Webster bought the Signarama CDB franchise at Spencer Street a couple of years ago before the building was knocked down then relocated the business to his TLC facility in west Melbourne, where it operated in a separate part of the building.
"They have lost two wide format printers, a flatbed, a laminator and a lot of other kit," said Foster. "Insurance teams have been in there assessing the extent of the damage but it will run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Other Signarama stores in our network have been fantastic in helping to get the work done.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au