Thirty firefighters rush to contain fierce blaze at Sunshine Road shopping strip as specialist investigators and police begin probe
Cloud Nine Tobacconist in West Footscray has been ravaged by a spectacular pre-dawn fire, with firefighters racing to stop flames from engulfing neighbouring businesses along Sunshine Road.
Fire Rescue Victoria crews were called to Cloud Nine Tobacconist, at 179 Sunshine Road, shortly after 4am on Wednesday 26 August 2026 following several reports of a shop fire.
Crews arrived within four minutes to find the business fully involved in flames, triggering an immediate escalation of the emergency response.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus moved into the smoke-choked scene as they battled the blaze and worked to prevent it spreading through the adjoining shops in the tightly packed commercial strip.
Occupants from a neighbouring premises were safely evacuated and were due to be assessed by Ambulance Victoria. These neighbouring premises have CCTV cameras pointed towards the street so no doubt Police will be interested in viewing that footage soon.
The fire was declared under control at 5:20am, but fire duty crews remained at the scene throughout the morning to extinguish hotspots and ensure the fire could not reignite.
The operation drew a major response, with five pumpers, an aerial appliance, a rescue unit and three other specialist units dispatched. About 30 firefighters attended under the command of Senior Station Officer Justin Farina.
The cause of the fire bombing has not been determined. Fire Rescue Victoria specialists and Victoria Police will investigate the circumstances surrounding the blaze, but at this stage investigators have been told an unknown offender was seen throwing an object into the premises.
It is believed the offenders fled in a stolen Toyota RAV4 displaying false registration plates, which was located dumped nearby on Sredna Street, as well as a white Honda CRV which remains outstanding.
The Toyota was stolen from Lara Railway Station on 9 August 2026.
The badly fire-damaged premises will form part of the investigation scene as authorities work to establish how the inferno began.
Famous crime-scene photographer Lord Murray Schoorman, of Peak Hour Images, attended the scene as the full scale of the destruction emerged in the morning light, under police crime scene guard.
Online public records indicate the parent company “Cloud 9 Tobacconist Pty Ltd” was established on 15 October 2022, and lists Khaled Nasser as its sole director. However, the business is understood to be operated by Mohamed Taleb. Both men were unavailable for comment at the scene on Wednesday morning.
No injuries had been confirmed at the time of publication.
