Police are treating a suspicious fire at an abandoned factory in Footscray overnight as a possible triple homicide.
Emergency services were called the blaze at the rear of the former Kinnears ropeworks on Ballarat Road about 11.30pm Wednesday following reports of a fire and explosions.
Metropolitan Fire Brigade firefighters took forty minutes to control the fire and made the grisly discovery of the three bodies inside a room at the rear of the factory.
Arson chemists were on the scene on Thursday morning to trace the cause of the suspicious fire.
Police have reportedly indicated that a petrol can, found near the scene, will form a key part of their investigation.
Personal belongings including a bicycle and a bed were removed from the scene as police combed through personal belongings, including a backpack, in a bid to identify the deceased.
Police believe the victims were two men and a woman.
Taxi driver Mohamed Ali told ABC he was passing by and saw the fire and heard screams when he arrived at the scene.
“When I passed the street I saw the fire over there. When I was turning I heard some screaming but I was not sure who was screaming,” he said.
The blaze came just one day after Maribyrnong Council considered a proposal by developers to begin work on a major residential redevelopment of the former rope works, closed for business since 2002.
A planning application has been lodged for the $63 million first stage of the Kinnears site redevelopment, to include 208 dwellings in 15, 12 and 8 storey towers.
Maribyrnong mayor Catherine Cumming told Star Weekly the Council had received a complaint from a resident about six months ago about squatters occupying the site.
Cr Cumming said a local laws officer visited the site on a few occasions before locating one of the squatters and providing him with brochures and contact details for homeless service organisations.
“As well as that the council put orders on the developer to secure the site.”
Site owner R & F Estate Pty Ltd said in a statement it was saddened and distressed about the loss of life at its Footscray property on Wednesday night.
“R & F has had 24-hour security on the site. The company had received preliminary advice that there had been no squatters in the main buildings on the site, but a small outbuilding had been forced open from the street.”
Footscray youth worker Les Twentyman said the deaths were a tragedy and an urgent reminder of the need for more housing to tackle Melbourne’s homeless epidemic.
“The problem we’ve got is you’ve got massive youth unemployment, you’ve got rentals that are beyond anyone’s capability and also people don’t want to rent out to people who are transient,” he said.
“They’re getting hunted out of the suburbs and that’s why you’ve got all that rough sleeping in your face in the city.”
Mr Twentyman said Victoria has a massive crisis with homelessness and politicians aren’t doing enough to solve the problem.
“There is nowhere to go. These are people who have been stuck in poverty… and sadly they shouldn’t be dying like this.”
He raised the issue of homeless people being moved on from public places, including an incident last year in which Maribyrnong Council moved to charge a homeless woman more than $400 to retrieve her belongings after they were seized from where she had been camping in Footscray’s Newells Paddock
A homeless camp has also been set up at nearby Quarry Park, behind Footscray City College.
One local who did not want to be named, told Fairfax Media he’d met someone who lived there several times and described him as a “gentle” man.
“He was a really gentle, calm, relaxed person,” he said.
“He didn’t bother anyone, he’s just a lovely guy.”
The Homeless Persons Union Victoria said the tragedy highlighted the plight facing the homeless.
“This is the result of a society that cares more for private property and profit than it does for community and the fundamental human right to shelter, spaces where people, regardless of their income or status, are able to develop relationships.”
Investigations are continuing.
Police are urging anyone who witnessed the fire or has information about it to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
