By ninemsn staff
With wires
A huge fire at a landmark entertainment complex in Melbourne's St Kilda has been brought under control, authorities say.
The fire at The Palace complex, next door to the historic Palais Theatre and not far from the Luna Park theme park, was estimated to be 100m by 150m.
Twenty-five fire trucks and 60 firefighters were called to the scene to fight the blaze at around 3.30pm, but reportedly struggled to find enough fresh water to fight it.
The owner of the nearby Beachcomber Cafe, Jim Paraskevas, said a hose had been brought across the road from the Stokehouse restaurant to fight the blaze.
He said the fire was now under control.
"It's just about out now. I'm surprised that they haven't moved the trucks because people can't move anywhere," he said.
A worker from the Stokehouse restaurant, who didn't want to be named, said the plume of smoke from the blaze was three storeys high at one stage.
Everyone from inside the restaurant had run outside to watch the fire, she said, but the scene had calmed down to some extent by 5.30pm.
"There's still a bit of a haze coming from it now but the smoke is drifting in the opposite direction to us," she said.
"It was controlled chaos — there was a fair crowd but the people weren't being too dramatic."
Police cordoned off the area around The Palace complex and the Palais Theatre.
Hundreds of people gathered nearby to watch the fire.
The Palace, a popular venue for bands that also housed a nightclub, was closed on June 12 amid some community rancour.
A consortium led by Babcock & Brown was recently named as the winning bidder to develop the dilapidated site.
The $300 million development plan has met resistance from some music fans opposed to The Palace with new entertainment venues, including a Ministry of Sound dance club and The Basement jazz club.
The heritage-listed Palais theatre will also form part of the redevelopment.
A recent Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled the government had the right to take possession of the theatre last month after long-term tenant Caroline Harper fought the move.
Under the plans, the Palais will be retained and redeveloped into a major live entertainment precinct overlooking the St Kilda waterfront.
Police said it was too early to determine whether the fire was suspicious.
Front page
RSS Feed