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A suspicious blaze has left the Love Machine nightclub in Melbourne’s Prahran severely damaged after it erupted in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Police officers, while on patrol, noticed smoke emerging from the venue located at Malvern Road and Chapel Street shortly after 2 a.m., prompting a swift and substantial response from emergency services.
A formidable team of 45 firefighters, supported by 14 fire trucks and three aerial platforms, worked tirelessly for more than two hours to extinguish the fire.
Due to significant challenges in accessing the site, Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) crews had to tackle the flames from outside, managing to bring the first-floor fire under control by 4:25 a.m.
Fortunately, the nightclub was closed and empty at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported.
The site, however, remains a crime scene as arson chemists prepare to investigate the cause.
This latest incident adds another dark chapter to the venue’s troubled history, as the club has been a persistent flashpoint for serious violence for over half a decade.
Most recently, in August last year, Western Bulldogs player Jamarra Ugle-Hagan narrowly avoided a stray bullet fired outside the premises.
Months prior, a 30-year-old father, Ruka Carlson, was fatally stabbed on Chapel Street after reportedly being chased from the club following an armed altercation inside.
The venue gained national notoriety in 2019 following a fatal drive-by shooting that claimed the lives of security guard Aaron Khalid Osmani and patron Richard Arow.
That attack, carried out with an assault rifle, also left four others injured.
Victoria Police have urged anyone with information, dashcam footage, or CCTV from the area to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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