Police are investigating a fire, believed to be suspicious, at a Port Melbourne car dealership in the early hours of this morning.<\/p>\n
Emergency services were called to the blaze at a Chery car dealership on Plummer Street about 4:50am.<\/p>\n
The dealership opened last week, and its owners said it was Australia’s largest dealership selling Chery cars, a Chinese manufacturer.<\/p>\n
Dealership manager Victor Sargin told ABC Radio Melbourne the main damage to the site appeared to be smoke-related.<\/p>\n
“It looks like they’ve poured some fuel on the floor [and] lit it up,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Luckily, the floors are hard floors, so those flames have only caught onto some furniture and the reception desk at the front.<\/p>\n
“It does look like one particular car has caught on fire, but at this point in time, it looks like a lot of smoke damage rather than anything else.”<\/p>\n
Mr Sargin said he was unsure of the motivation behind the fire and that no threats had been made.<\/p>\n
Firefighters entered the showroom with breathing apparatus and found multiple cars on fire and heavy smoke filling the showroom.<\/p>\n
The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
Victoria Police’s arson squad have been investigating the cause of the blaze.<\/p>\n
No-one was believed to be inside at the time of the fire.<\/p>\n
Officers have not yet confirmed whether the incident will be investigated by the specialist Operation Eclipse task force, which is probing a spate of arson attacks on hospitality venues they believe could be orchestrated by organised crime groups.<\/p>\n
This week alone, at least three incidents have been added to the Operation Eclipse investigation.<\/p>\n