A fire that gutted a popular market centre in Perth’s north-east was deliberately lit, according to authorities.
More than 120 firefighters have been battling the blaze at the Morley Market centre on the corner of Bishop and Progress streets since about 12:30am today.
It took more than 120 firefighters several hours to contain the blaze and prevent it spreading to nearby buildings.
More than 120 firefighters attended the fire. (ABC News: Gian De Poloni)
Department of Fire and Emergency Services incident controller Andre Duckworth said those efforts were successful, but the fire had torn through the market.
“Every business in the market building has been impacted to some extent,” he told ABC Radio Perth.
“The building is about 5,000 square metres and the fire has moved through the entire structure to one extent or another.
“The roof of the building has collapsed and there’s a lot of smouldering still happening inside.”
Police investigating blaze
Mr Duckworth said the fire was not an accident.
“We know it’s deliberate and I can’t say any more than that,” he said.
The arson squad and WA Police Force detectives are investigating as we speak.”
Authorities say most, if not all, businesses at the Morley Market complex have been gutted. (ABC News: Gian De Poloni)
The market was home to dozens of food and retail outlets, many of them family-run businesses that had been in operation for decades.
Mr Duckworth said it was “almost certain” most, if not all, of those stores were now gone.
At least one shop owner has already begun an online fundraising campaign to help rebuild.
A smoke warning has been issued for the area, and people are being urged to avoid the scene.
Community hub
Local plumber Shane Calegari said the market had been a mainstay of the area since the 1960s.
“I reckon it’s been here more than 60 years,” he said.
“Before the Galleria or any other places came here, it was actually the local key part of the Morley shopping centre in those days. [It is] probably closer to 70 years old.”
Mr Calegari said the mix of outlets attracted a range of people.
Before the fire, Morley Market was filled with an eclectic mix of businesses. (Supplied: Philip Rechter)
“There’s a bloke that services sewing machines. There’s a jeweller in there, there’s the newsagent people in there,” he said.
“People that do trading. There’s nail people. There’s a fruit and veg shop. There’s a very large Chinese restaurant, there’s four or five smaller shops in there that do that sort of thing. Coffee shops.”
Morley Market has been a hub of community activity for decades. (Supplied: Philip Rechter)
Mr Duckworth said locals should take adequate precautions, but stressed there was no need for panic.
“Every structure fire is a cocktail of different compounds, ” Mr Duckworth said.
“We’ve got restaurants in there, we’ve got shops, all sorts of things.
“But for the neighbourhood, it’s very well diluted by the time it’s reaching homes or businesses.”
Morley Market business owners can attend a meeting with fire authorities at the Morley Public Library at 9am.
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