Twenty-seven people have been injured, including six with serious burns, after a man set fire to a Commonwealth Bank branch in Springvale, in Melbourne's south-east.
This is what we know so far.Â
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CCTV shows alleged arsonist moments before Springvale bank fire
Retrieving the accelerant he would use to set himself alight, CCTV from a local cafe shows the alleged arsonist moments before he entered the Springvale Commonwealth Bank and injured 27 people. Vision courtesy Seven News, Melbourne.
Where and when
A man walked into the Commonwealth Bank branch on Springvale Road in Springvale about 11.30am on Friday.
He allegedly set fire to the bank, using an accelerant, possibly petrol.
The man, believed to be 21, has been taken to The Alfred hospital with serious burns.
He is under police guard.
It took firefighters 90 seconds to arrive at the scene.
CCTV footage shows a man picking up an empty, large water container from outside Cafe Asmara and taking it to a nearby service station.Â
The footage shows him returning at 11.22am, moments before the fire, and walking in the direction of the bank. The container is filled with liquid.
It is believed the man in the footage is the same man who was pictured injured in a laneway, talking to police, after the attack.
One witness reportedly said the man was talking about money complaints before the attack.
Fire inside the Springvale Commonwealth Bank. Photo: Twitter/@sunprawn
6 people seriously injured
Six people with serious burns, including the man allegedly responsible for the fire, have been taken to The Alfred hospital including:
- Â Two men in their 20s
- Â A man in his 60s
- Â A man in his 70s
- Â A man (no details on age)
- Â A woman in her 20s
A spokesman for The Alfred hospital said:
- One patient is in a 'critical' condition
- Another is in a 'critical but stable' condition
- One sustained moderate burns and is in a 'serious but stable' condition
- The three remaining patients are listed as 'stable'
An additional 21 people, including 3 children, treated for smoke inhalation
Victims, including a toddler and some people aged in their 80s, were treated for breathing problems and taken to hospital.
Eight women and two men have been taken to the Monash Medical Centre in a stable condition.
Ten women and one man have been taken to Dandenong Hospital in a stable condition.
Commonwealth Bank statement
Commonwealth Bank chief executive officer Ian Narev said: "We are deeply concerned about the incident today at our branch in Springvale. Our absolute priority is the welfare of our customers and staff who were in the branch at the time. We have teams assisting our people and a customer liaison officer available for affected customers, and will keep them engaged as long as is necessary. We thank the emergency authorities for their quick response and actions."
Springvale
Located 23 kilometres south-east of Melbourne's CBD, Springvale is home to a large Vietnamese migrant community.Â
Nearly 70 per cent of Springvale's 20,000 residents were born overseas, with the majority from Vietnam, India, Cambodia and China.
The Nau Yang Supermarket is a prominent feature of Springvale Road - the suburb's bustling high street - as is Kim Heng Jewellery and Vietnamese Noodle House.
The suburb is also home to the Sandown Raceway, which hosts the prominent Sandown 500 on the V8 supercars circuit each year.