Epping Fire destroys the store

Fires destroyed two shops in the north of Melbourne on Wednesday morning, causing explosions and blanketing nearby homes in smoke.

The fire broke out at a home goods center in Epping and struck a Supercheap Auto and Cash Converters store around 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Victoria Fire Department Deputy Commissioner Michelle Young said a passerby alerted authorities to the blaze.

“Firefighters actually heard a big explosion. Firefighters were on the scene when the front door of Supercheap was blown off,” she told reporters.

She said the Supercheap and Cash Converter buildings had to be demolished as a result of the conflagration, but praised firefighters for saving nearby buildings.

“It’s been a real struggle. The buildings are really close to each other. They’ve done a great job saving the building behind Supercheap,” she said at the scene.

According to Fire Rescue Victoria, more than 80 firefighters were dispatched to the scene with 25 trucks and appliances, and aerial appliances were used when the building collapsed.

They were able to bring the Inferno under control around 7:45am, but are expected to remain on site for most of the day.Both High Street and Cooper Street are closed to traffic.