Fire at Springvale IKEA

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A dramatic scene unfolded at IKEA Springvale this morning after a fire broke out on the store’s roof, sending thick black smoke into the sky and triggering a flurry of emergency calls.

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) said they started getting multiple calls around 8:30am on Thursday, May 29, with witnesses spotting flames and heavy smoke coming from the multi-storey building at the corner of Princes Highway and Westall Road.

The situation escalated quickly — so much so that it was bumped up to a second alarm response, which means more resources were rushed to the scene.

The fire was located in the rooftop solar panels and had even started to creep into the ceiling space below, according to an FRV spokesperson. Right now, it’s not clear if the fire actually started in the panels themselves or in the area beneath them.

In total, 28 firefighters were deployed, along with five pumpers, two aerial units, and three other appliances. Thanks to their quick work, crews had the fire under control by 9:07am — less than 40 minutes after it was first reported.

Crews stayed behind to make sure the fire hadn’t spread and to assess any damage.

Commander Samuel Webb later told ABC Radio that while the solar panels were damaged, there was no damage inside or outside the store itself, which is a huge relief.

The Springvale Homemaker Centre, aside from the IKEA section, was expected to re-open later in the day. IKEA’s reopening is pending checks from safety authorities, including Energy Safe Victoria.

Meanwhile, Vic Emergency issued a smoke warning for surrounding suburbs including Clayton, Clayton South, Mulgrave, and Springvale, so locals were advised to keep windows closed and avoid the smoke if possible.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported — and thanks to a fast response, a potentially much worse situation was brought under control quickly.

More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.