logo
Rabbits, fish and birds amongst dozens of animals killed after firebombing on acai cafe spreads to King Pets store in Melbourne

Rabbits, fish and birds amongst dozens of animals killed after firebombing on acai cafe spreads to King Pets store in Melbourne

Sky News AU07-05-2025

Dozens of animals including rabbits, fish and birds have been killed in a devastating fire after an acai cafe was struck in a suspicious blaze overnight in Melbourne's north.
The firebombing took place about 3.45am on Wednesday targeting the dessert bar on Mahoneys Rd in Campbellfield before it spread to King Pets and a neighbouring tobacco shop as well.
Pet store King Pets sustained major damage in the process with the owner of the store left completely "heartbroken" over the huge loss of life.
'Hundreds of birds have all perished, thousands of fish have also perished, we have also lost rabbits,' the owner told the Herald Sun.
'We are totally devastated and still trying to comprehend what has happened.
'It's still a massive shock. We are heartbroken.'
Only 20 baby turtles and some Mexican walking fish survived the catastrophe.
Victoria Police is currently investigating the circumstances of the fire and confirmed no one was inside at the time of the attack.
The blaze was bought under control just before 4.30am with the help of about 30 firefighters with crews remaining on scene as investigations continued.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, with dashcam/CCTV vision has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Horror as 11 people trapped inside minibus on major highway in Melbourne's east
Horror as 11 people trapped inside minibus on major highway in Melbourne's east

News.com.au

time6 hours ago

  • News.com.au

Horror as 11 people trapped inside minibus on major highway in Melbourne's east

A minibus has crashed into a pub Melbourne's eastern suburbs, leaving 11 people trapped inside. Emergency services were called to the corner of Glenferrie Rd and Dandenong Rd in Malvern about 9.25am on Friday after reports a minibus had crashed into the side of a pub. A Victoria Police spokesperson told NewsWire that 11 people were trapped inside the bus at the time of the incident. Firefighters worked to free the passengers who were unable to get out of the crushed bus. 'The passengers and driver were still on-board and unable to evacuate' a Fire Rescue Victorias spokesperson told NewsWire. 'The driver relocated the minibus, allowing firefighters to remove the vehicle door so everyone on-board could evacuate.' Ambulance Victoria were on the scene as they treated the 11 trapped passengers. 'Paramedics assessed 11 patients but no emergency treatment or transport was required,' a spokesperson told NewsWire. Police have launched an investigation into the crash.

'Imagine if Dan Andrews listened to me': Rebecca Judd slams the former Victoria premier as state's crime rate surges
'Imagine if Dan Andrews listened to me': Rebecca Judd slams the former Victoria premier as state's crime rate surges

Sky News AU

time6 hours ago

  • Sky News AU

'Imagine if Dan Andrews listened to me': Rebecca Judd slams the former Victoria premier as state's crime rate surges

Rebecca Judd has hit out at the Victorian government and Daniel Andrews after fresh statistics showed crime rates in the state hit a record high. The Victoria Police on Thursday reported 627,268 criminal offences were recorded in the state over the last 12 months to March. This represents a 91,692-offence increase in the state or 15.2 percent when population growth is considered. 'Police recorded the most arrests since electronic records began in 1993, and most likely, in Victoria Police's 172-year history,' Victoria Police said in a statement. The wife of retired AFL legend Chris Judd, 42, took to Instagram on Thursday to reshare a post from the state parliament's local Brighton MP, Liberal James Newbury addressing the "rampant violent behaviour". Mr Newbury said the crime increase shows the state's Allan Labor government has been "so weak". Judd echoed his sentiment and claimed the former premier of Victoria failed to act when she said she felt unsafe in the affluent Melbourne suburb of Brighton in 2022. "Imagine if Dan Andrews had listened to me when I sounded this alarm a few years back," the AFL WAG wrote. Judd speculated since she issued her warning, hundreds or possibly thousands of Victorians, not just Brighton residents, have experienced "life-long trauma" due to becoming victims of violent home invasions. "Sadly, innocent lives have also been lost. I will continue to raise these issues until people start to feel safe in their communities again," she said. Police Minister Anthony Carbines addressed the crime wave on Thursday and said while the data was "unacceptable", he had no regrets about waiting more than a year to introduce new bail laws. Judd responded to his comments as she continued to unleash on the government, saying: "More than a year to wait is unacceptable." "Victorians, more than anyone, know just how quickly this government can introduce new laws when they want to," she said. Judd has been one of the most outspoken public figures calling for tougher bail laws for repeat offenders and previously praised Premier Jacinta Allan's overhaul, but warned it had come "too late for so many". She was also a vocal opponent of Melbourne's extended lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic under the former Andrews government. Mr Andrews in 2022 shut down her concerns about feeling unsafe in her Brighton mansion, saying the "data would tell a different story". "I'm not interested in having an argument with Ms Judd," he said. "I'm also obliged to point out though, I think there are more than 70 additional police in the Bayside area. "And the most recent crime statistics released by an independent agency would not support those sweeping assessments about patterns of crime." At the time, crime was on the rise in the state with reports of multiple home invasions. The fresh surge in incidents comes as multiple disturbances occurred at Melbourne's Northland Shopping Centre in a matter of days. Shoppers at the centre were evacuated on Thursday following reports of a fire and smoke billowing from Myer. The incident comes just hours after police arrested a 27-year-old man in relation to an allegedly stolen Toyota Land Cruiser smashing through the centre on Wednesday, sparking mass panic and chaos amongst shoppers. Just three weeks ago panic spread through the same centre as a fight broke out between machete-wielding teens. Victoria Police noted the impact of the first tranche of changes to bail laws, which came into effect in March, was not evident in the new crime data. The Allan government proposed the new laws, including a ban on machetes, in response to an alarming spike in crime in the state and claimed that the changes were the toughest of their kind in Australia. The stipulation that magistrates no longer need to consider remand as a last resort for children was widely seen as the pillar of the new laws. The reforms also made committing an indictable offence while on bail and breaching bail conditions punishable by up to three months in jail. Serious offences such as aggravated burglary, home invasion, carjacking and armed robbery were also elevated to the strictest bail criteria, making bail less likely even for a first charge.

Mokbel receives government payout for savage jail bashing
Mokbel receives government payout for savage jail bashing

Sydney Morning Herald

timea day ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

Mokbel receives government payout for savage jail bashing

Drug kingpin Tony Mokbel, who was released from custody in April after almost 18 years in custody, has had another legal victory after receiving an undisclosed financial settlement over a savage attack in Barwon Prison in 2019. However, Mokbel will be unable to access the funds until at least June 2026, after the Victorian government paid the settlement into a 'prisoner compensation quarantine fund' on Thursday. It is unknown when the case settled, but lawyers acting for the now 59-year-old launched Supreme Court proceedings against the state in February 2023, when Mokbel was still behind bars. According to a statement of claim, the governor and senior staff at Barwon Prison had failed to take adequate measures to protect Mokbel from a brutal bashing and stabbing by two fellow inmates on February 11, 2019. Senior prison staff are accused of failing to adequately respond to an anonymous, handwritten note received by the prison a few days earlier, which warned a high-profile inmate in the Diosma unit would be 'taken out'. Prison authorities also failed to take necessary measures to protect Mokbel following a story in the Herald Sun a day before the assault, which made him a target of inmates of Polynesian background, according to court documents. Mokbel spent five days in a coma at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and sustained a 'traumatic brain injury causing intellectual disability'. Lawyers acting for Mokbel had pursued aggravated and exemplary damages because they also alleged the prison had acted unlawfully and exacerbated their client's psychological injuries by rehousing him in a high-security unit upon his return from hospital.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store