Little Saigon Market in Footscray has been gutted by fire this morning, with the flames destroying most of the 30 shops inside the two-storey building. Firefighters arrived at the scene at around 6am this morning and were not able to enter the building to fight the blaze due to structural collapse. Speaking to The Age, Metropolitan Fire Brigade assistant chief fire officer Martin Braid said the fire started in the coolroom, likely in refrigeration machinery.
Located close to Footscray Market, Little Saigon Market has been a Footscray institution and is an important hub for the local Vietnamese community. Businesses in the market, all of which will no doubt be missing out on Christmas trading, include an Asian produce market, grocery stores, seafood traders, a bakery and restaurants.
The fire also destroyed thousands of Christmas presents and books donated to the Les Twentyman Foundation, which occupies most of the building's second level as a library for students who can't afford to buy their own textbook. The foundation's back-to-school had been running 27 years and had been a great resource for disadvantaged youths and young refugees.