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Meanwhile, a woman has claimed she saw someone throwing burning objects out the window of the former Goldfingers club in the moments before it was completely gutted by fire in the early hours of Tuesday.
The ferocious fire led to roof of the building collapsing, though the 100-year-old façade was saved.
Police have established a crime scene at the old club, which has been shut since 2020 to make way for a $100 million redevelopment.
Structural damage caused by the fire has left investigators unable to fully search the site.
It is feared three people who were squatting in the property were inside when the fire started and were unable to escape.
Fire Rescue Victoria Commander Mitch Simons said the building was a known site for squatters.
“It could be one to two, maybe three people (unaccounted for). But being that it’s a squat, we don’t keep track or have no ability to keep track of who enters,” he said.
“The severity of the fire has restricted fire crews from making a normal entry to search for people.”
The blaze is being treated as suspicious because the building was not connected to electricity.
A woman has this morning told Today she was walking past the building on her way home from work just after midnight when she saw someone inside, throwing objects on fire out the window.
Rachel said she immediately called triple-zero and watched as the building was engulfed in flames.
“It didn’t just go up in a moment’s notice. Someone was in there up to no good,” she said.
Lonsdale Street is still closed in both directions near the corner of King.
The incident is causing traffic chaos in Melbourne CBD today again, with the intersection in the heart of the CBD usually swamped by heavy traffic.
Motorists, bus and tram services and pedestrians are all affected.
