A woman has been charged after allegedly setting fire to multiple items at a Woolworths supermarket in Melbourne, causing the store to briefly go up in flames. The incident occurred during the busy dinner rush on Sunday evening, forcing shoppers to flee the premises.
Incident Details
Bystanders captured footage of the 25-year-old woman deliberately lighting grocery products on fire across several aisles at the Epping store. Witness Liam Tyler described the scene to 7News: "The flames were getting quite big as well. Pretty crazy, really." Workers acted swiftly to evacuate customers and contacted emergency services, while some attempted to extinguish the flames, which reignited before firefighters arrived to fully control the blaze.
Police Response
The woman left the store but was detained by security until police arrived. A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed: "Whittlesea Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged a woman after a supermarket in Epping was damaged by fire Sunday evening." The 25-year-old from Roxburgh Park was arrested and taken to hospital under police guard for treatment unrelated to the incident. She has been charged with criminal damage by fire and commit an indictable offence while on bail, and has been remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on August 24.
Store Reopens
Thankfully, no injuries were reported. The store has since reopened after repairing damaged shelving. A Woolworths spokesperson expressed gratitude: "The safety of our customers and team members is always our top priority, and we are incredibly thankful that no injuries have been reported. We want to extend our sincere thanks to our team members who acted quickly to extinguish the fire and ensure everyone was evacuated safely, as well as the police and fire brigade who attended the scene."
Previous Incidents
This is not the first time Woolworths has faced unruly customer behavior. Recently, a Sydney store displayed antitheft signage that shocked shoppers. A sign with a police theme was posted on Reddit, with one shopper calling it "a bit dodgy." A Woolworths spokesperson noted: "Theft is one of the main drivers of violence and aggression towards our team members, so we are continuing to proactively test new approaches to deter theft and ensure their safety. We know the majority of our customers do the right thing, and we thank them for doing so."
