A towering inferno tore through Melbourne’s west in the early hours of Thursday morning, leaving behind a charred industrial shell and a trail of unanswered questions.
Triple Zero Victoria received a single, ominous call reporting a factory fire at 6 Cobra Street, Melton, just after 2:40am on 2 July 2026. Within six minutes, Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and CFA (Country Fire Authority) crews descended on the scene, only to be met with a rapidly escalating blaze engulfing a 30-metre by 30-metre double-storey concrete tilt-slab factory.
Inside, flames had already consumed both levels of an internal office complex, sending thick smoke billowing into the night sky. The structure’s tin roof glowed under the intensity as firefighters, led by Commander Darren Power, quickly escalated the response to a Second Alarm, deploying more than 38 firefighters in a race against time.
Wearing breathing apparatus, crews forced entry and established hose lines, launching an aggressive internal attack. In a critical effort that likely saved neighbouring properties, firefighters contained the blaze within the building of origin—first knocking down flames on the ground floor before advancing to the second level to extinguish the remaining fire.
Despite the ferocity of the blaze, authorities confirmed no occupants were inside at the time.
Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria assisted throughout the incident, while utility crews worked swiftly to secure the area, power was isolated, and AusNet confirmed no gas supply to the street, eliminating further explosion risk.
After a prolonged and complex operation, the fire was declared under control at 3:03am.
But as the smoke cleared, a more troubling narrative began to emerge.
The factory is reportedly owned by Garry “Gaz” Wright, a former Melbourne gangland figure turned social media personality, who issued a defiant message in the wake of the destruction of his business.
The fire has been deemed suspicious and handed over to Victoria Police, with investigators now probing what is being treated as a potential firebombing.
By first light, the blackened remains of the factory stood under heavy police guard as Lord Murray Schoorman, a renowned crime scene photographer from Peak Hour Images, documented the aftermath, his lens capturing the stark, skeletal ruin of what was once Gaz’s functioning enterprise.
A Municipal Building Surveyor is expected to assess the structural integrity of the site later today.
In Melton, a suburb no stranger to headlines, the imagery is hard to ignore: twisted metal, scorched concrete, and a lingering sense of unease.
Mel-ton is the suburb. Mel-ting, it seems, is the recurring theme!
 and CFA (Country Fire Authority) crews descended on the scene, only to be met with a rapidly escalating blaze engulfing a 30-metre by 30-metre double-storey concrete tilt-slab factory.){kind=link}