A fire that started on the ground floor of the See Yup Temple spread to the first floor,badly damaging the historical building’s interior.
Fire damage inside the See Yup Temple in South Melbourne.Penny Stephens
Firefighters attended the Raglan Street building about 9.50pm,after receiving multiple reports of a fire from members of the public.
Smoke was billowing from the second floor and roof by the time they arrived,Fire Rescue Victoria said.
Debris litters the temple floor after the fire.Penny Stephens
A spokeswoman said the fire had been “significant” and there were initial fears the building could be structurally at risk.
“Firefighters donned breathing apparatus,gained access and discovered a significant fire spreading to the first floor prompting an escalated response,” a spokesperson said.
It took firefighters two-and-a-half hours to put out the blaze.
Emergency services issued a warning to the public to avoid the area and surrounding streets were closed to motorists.
Trams were disrupted on nearby Clarendon Street while firefighters used aerial fire trucks to extinguish the blaze.
A spokesman for Victoria Police said the cause of the fire was not yet clear,but investigators do not think the blaze was suspicious. Arson chemists visited the scene on Sunday.
Police at South Melbourne’s See Yup Temple after Saturday night’s fire.Penny Stephens
The blaze occurred as the Chinese community continues to mark the,which began last Saturday and is celebrated for 15 days.
Built in 1856,the See Yup Temple is owned by the See Yup Society of Melbourne.
Designed by architect George Wharton,the temple is understood to be the in Australia.
The fire at the historical building is the second to have occurred at a Melbourne temple in just over 12 months.
The was significantly damaged when fire tore through the building in February 2023.
