A man has reportedly set himself on fire within a Commonwealth Bank in Melbourne’s south-east.
The blaze has injured at least 27 people, with 6 being taken to The Alfred hospital with serious burns, each in a serious condition.
Early reports suggest the man set himself alight, a witness telling the Herald Sun that an elderly woman who was in the CBA branch at the time ran out yelling ‘a man has burned themselves in the bank’.
Police confirmed they responded to reports a man had set fire to the bank on Springvale Rd, Springvale, about 11:30am.
“The man has been taken to hospital in a serious condition under police guard,” a police spokesperson said.
In a statement, the Commonwealth Bank said its “response team” was working with emergency services.
“We can confirm there was an incident at our Springvale branch today. Our first priority is the safety of our staff and customers and as a result the branch will remain closed for the rest of the day,” the statement says.
“Our response team is on site and we are working closely with local authorities and emergency services.”
More as we get it.
