On Friday, 26 people were hurt after a man set fire to a busy bank in Australia with one witness saying he heard a big blast and children screaming.
Police said the man entered the Commonwealth Bank branch in the Melbourne suburb of Springvale with flammable liquid. Inspector – Jacqui Poida said that he had some sort of accelerant with him in a container. Accelerant was lit inside the bank.
Inspector Poida said that the motive behind this act was not clear. He further said that it was too early to tell that it is terror attack.
The team of Paramedics said that 6 were in a critical condition. One is believed to be the suspect, who is under police guard in hospital.
The fire officer said that the fire was inside the building. So they entered with breathing apparatus and hose lines. They rescued 25 people, with a range of injuries from minor burns and serious injuries. You can not see inside the bank due to the smoke.
Witness Ashley Atkin-Fone hailed a hero after running into the bank to help. Fone said that he heard a big blast and children screaming.
Atkin-Fone grabbed a fire extinguisher from a nearby shop and ran into the bank to try and put out the flames, saying: “What do you do? Instincts just kicked in.”
Australia’s biggest bank – The Commonwealth Bank said that the branch would remain shut for the rest of the day, with its response team on site.
In a statement later, it said that we are working closely with emergency services and local authorities.
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