Arabic version: حريق مشبوه في كوبدن يضر بأربعة متاجر

According to ABC News, police are investigating a suspicious fire that gutted a tobacco shop in Cobden, a south-west Victorian town. The business had opened only two months earlier. The blaze also damaged at least three adjoining shops in an arcade on the town’s main street.

Emergency services were called to Curdie Street at about 6:15am, where they found the tobacco shop fully engulfed by flames. CFA commander Rob Howell said firefighters took two hours to bring the fire under control. He said road closures were in place in the area and he did not expect the adjoining shops to open that day.

Victoria Police established a crime scene while investigators worked to determine what caused the fire. An arson chemist was expected to examine the tobacco shop scene later that day. Cobden’s main-street arcade is in a town with a population of about 1,800.

Brendan Cook, from the IGA supermarket across the road, said he heard loud bangs as the fire burned. He said he could see smoke while driving to work, then saw flames coming from the roof after arriving at the supermarket. He also described hearing occasional bangs during the fire.