An alleged firebug has been charged after a heritage-listed racecourse grandstand was torched in a series of suspicious blazes.
The major fire tore through the Caulfield Racecourse’s Norman Robinson stand on Tuesday morning, likely causing millions of dollars of damage.
A 51-year-old man was accused of lighting four blazes on the grounds and arrested at Mordialloc train station on Tuesday afternoon after three suspicious grassfires broke out at the nearby Attenborough Park.
The man, whose last known address was in the regional town of Wangaratta, has since been charged with four counts of arson, two counts of trespass, and one count each of burglary, criminal damage and theft.
He’s been remanded in custody and is scheduled to face Melbourne Magistrates court on Wednesday.
Detective Sergeant Stuart Hough said he matched the description of a person captured on CCTV at the racecourse.
The blaze caused “significant” damage that could run into the millions of dollars. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)
The man once lived in the area of the fires but it was many years ago and he had no known links to the racecourse or racing industry, Det Sgt Hough said.
Fire Rescue Victoria incident controller Dennis Smith said the fire caused “significant damage” to the stand and originated in a bar on the first level.
“I’m not a builder but from what I’ve seen this morning the damage will be in the millions,” he said.
A race meeting scheduled for Wednesday has been moved to Mornington.
Melbourne Racing Club chairman John Kanga assured members the grandstand would be rebuilt, with the extent of the full damage still being determined.
The racecourse is in the middle of a $300 million redevelopment, first announced in 2019, including works to the Norman Robinson stand.
In December, the MRC agreed to sell a $195 million parcel of land at the site to Mount Scopus Memorial College for the school to build a new campus.
Melbourne Football Club also plans to build a training and administrative base at the racecourse by 2028.