By 9News,April Glover
Copyright 9news
Three people have been charged over an alleged arson attack which gutted a Melbourne factory earlier this year.
Detectives from Taskforce Hawk, which is probing corruption within the building industry in Victoria, charged three men with criminal damage and motor vehicle theft after a fire on Calarco Drive in Derrimut, in Mebourne’s west, on May 27.
The trio are all in custody on unrelated matters, police said.
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Police will allege the 33-year-old man from Craigieburn and the 36-year-old from Roxborough lit the fire while the third man, 38, from Brunswick, directed the offences.
It is believed the offenders forced entry into an office area and poured accelerant, before setting the building alight.
They will front Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on September 19.
The charges come two days after police released CCTV of a car linked to the factory fire.
Footage of a silver Lexus SUV was captured as it drove past the building in Derrimut.
Vision was also releases from another earlier fire in Maribyrnong on April 6.
The first fire took place outside a home on Scenic Drive in Maribyrnong, north-west Melbourne.
Footage shows two unknown offenders dousing cars in accelerant before setting them alight shortly after 1.30am.
The two cars went up in flames as the offenders fled the scene.
Nobody in the home was injured in the fire and the property was not damaged.
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Police are treating the two fires as linked.
Operation Hawk was established in July last year to target criminal behaviour linked to the construction industry.
It was renamed Taskforce Hawk in June this year.
It focuses on blackmail, extortion, assaults and threats to life and property, police said.
Police are engaging with “relevant industry stakeholders” to gather intelligence about the arson attacks.
“Fire is absolutely uncontrollable and unpredictable – these fires had the potential to cause significant property damage and even loss of life,” said Detective Acting Inspector Ross Mitchell.
Anyone with information is urged to contact contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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