Charity burned

By Bridget Brady
NEEDY residents will suffer the most after a suspicious fire destroyed part of the Hampton Park Salvation Army store, the state manager says.
Donations left outside the store were set alight about 3.20am on Saturday, police said, which caused the front window to explode and consequently set fire to the building.
Salvation Army state manager for Victoria Matt Hiah said it was disappointing to see a charity organisation targeted.
Part of the building and stock were damaged in the fire.
“It’s just a shame because it means we can’t be open or trade to help the people in need, which is what we’re there for,” Mr Hiah said.
“It’s really disappointing because the main reason we do what we do is to help people. It really sets us back.”
Mr Hiah said the Hampton Park store was busy, and many people in the area would be without the Salvation Army’s services. He said it was not the first time the store had been damaged by fire.
Detective Senior Constable Marc Newton said police were treating the fire as suspicious, and believe the same person would be responsible for a wheelie bin fire that occurred about the same time 150 metres from the store.
Det Sen Const Newton said the exact extent of the damage bill was unknown, but would be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Hampton Park Fire Brigade captain Arnaud Marion praised the efforts of firefighters for preventing further damage to the store. Crews from Hampton Park and Hallam were on scene for about 90 minutes.
Mr Hiah encouraged people to donate items during business hours so they could not be damaged in any way.
“It’s fantastic that people are doing that (donating), but unfortunately these sorts of things can happen so we ask people to bring things in during business hours.”
Mr Hiah said staff hoped to open again this week, but people who needed to access services in the meantime could visit the Noble Park and Dandenong stores.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the fire. Anyone with information can contact Detective Senior Constable Marc Newton at Casey CIU on 9705 3111.