By Violet Li
A fire at a neighbouring property caused a 15-minute delay between races at Ladbrokes Cranbourne Cup Day on Saturday 23 November.
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) responded at 1.21pm on Grant Street in Cranbourne after callers reported a tree fire in a garden bed.
According to the videos on Facebook, a fire was spotted outside the Trios Sports Club.
Firefighters arrived on the scene within five minutes to find a grass and scrub fire, with a building heavily smoke logged.
About 500 people evacuated the premises. FRV and CFA crews responded and swiftly extinguished the blaze. Four firefighting appliances were on the scene.
The scene was deemed under control at 1.30pm.
Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria also attended. One patient was treated at the scene.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing and initial indications are that it may have started from a discarded cigarette.
According to Southside Racing, the operators of Cranbourne and Pakenham racecourses, who also organised the day, the fire caused a brief 15-minute delay between races, but the remainder of the day’s schedule proceeded smoothly.
Southside Racing chief executive Neil Bainbridge extended his gratitude to the emergency responders for their prompt actions.
“It’s disappointing it happened to the neighbouring property, Trios. Full credit to emergency services, who were on the scene immediately and put the fire out straight away. Everyone was safe and sound,” he said.
