Another Melbourne nightclub has been targeted by arsonists as police continue to investigate a series of fires believed to be linked to organised crime.
Ladida at the corner of King Street and Little Bourke Street was set alight about 3.30am.
Victoria Police said nobody was in the venue at the time of the fire, but officers were told a vehicle was seen leaving the premises.
The fire is being treated as suspicious and will be reviewed by detectives from Operation Eclipse, which is investigating a series of fires targeting licensed premises in metropolitan Melbourne.
Victoria Police said a vehicle was spotted leaving the scene early on Tuesday morning. (ABC News: Kate Meade)
First Constable Paul Hogan from Victoria Police said it was fortunate nobody had been hurt in the fires so far.
“It’s terrifying, and I would hope that these offenders would have some sort of understanding of what the result could be,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
“I mean, it’s one thing to destroy someone’s business, but to take lives with you, that level of offending is catastrophic.”
Ladida in Little Bourke Street was targeted in the early hours of Tuesday morning. (ABC News: Kate Meade)
A security guard at Ladida told the ABC that a warning had been sent to the nightclub’s operators.
“Weeks ago, the security boss got word that this was the next place going to be attacked, I think that was two or three weeks ago,” he said.
“It didn’t end up happening, but we were waiting for it to happen.”
On Monday morning, arsonists targeted Electric Bar in Prahran, driving a vehicle through the front of the building and dousing it with petrol.
Police believe the offenders were disturbed before they could set the building alight.
Officers also arrested five people in possession of jerry cans full of fuel yesterday morning, just a block from Electric Bar, but said the arrests were not being linked to the attack on the bar at this stage.
Electric Bar in Prahran was targeted on Monday morning. (ABC News)
Master Grocers Australia CEO Martin Stirling said the increasing attacks on licensed venues were a real concern.
“We think that we’re right on the cusp of this escalating to something that could become out of control just like what we saw with illicit tobacco,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
“At the moment it seems to be contained within the hospitality industry, but our great fear is that it will expand to liquor retailing as well.”
Mr Stirling called on state and federal governments to do more to address what he called the “black market booze crisis”.
“Unfortunately, it took far too long for governments all around the country, including Victoria and federally, to start to address the illicit tobacco wars,” he said.
“What we need are mature conversations about whether the excise tax settings are correct, whether our police and law enforcement and Border Force are correctly resourced to get on top of this quickly.”