Man arrested following a fire set in the Caulfield grandstand

A fire was reported early on Tuesday morning in the Caulfield grandstand. At about 6 a.m., firefighters got to the track and took more than an hour to douse the blaze, which had taken hold in the wooden stand.

Significant damage was done to the grandstand

Being a wooden stand, the blaze was able to spread a lot quicker than if it had been in a different structure. Luckily, the damage is more cosmetic than it is structural which means that the stand can be rebuilt relatively quickly.

The luckiest part of the ordeal was that with it happening early in the morning, there were no injuries to report to anyone. The lack of any wind also helped to ensure that there was limited spread of the fire with no local residents affected.

Internal fire systems kicked in to make sure that the fire did not spread and the damage was limited to a smaller part of the racecourse than might have otherwise been the case.

A day of racing that was meant to be on the Heath course at Caulfield on Wednesday will now be run at Mornington. January 22 is then the next time that the Heath course is set to be in action while the main track is not scheduled for racing until January 25, an Australia Day card.

Blue Diamond Day will see parts of the track closed

The worst of the damage was contained to the Norman Robinson Stand. That means that the 1876 bar has taken a hit as well as the Medallion Bar. They will naturally be shut while the structure is rebuilt which will see them closed for the upcoming Blue Diamond Day.

That race is set for February 22 this year, won in great style by Hayasugi in 2024. The two-year-old generation will be set to descend on the track again at the end of February with the winner set to take a prominent position with the horse racing bookmakers in the betting for the Golden Slipper.

Track officials focused on rebuilding as quickly as possible

Work is set to start as soon as it is feasible, with the track promising that the stand will be built back bigger and better than ever. Insurance means that although the damage will run into the millions, there will be no delay in getting the rebuild going.

The Norman Robinson Stand is an older stand and is a heritage-listed building. There was apparently close circuit television showing the 51-year-old man in question setting the fires in the stand which makes it an easier job for the police.

After setting the grandstand on fire, the man went on to start a number of grass fires in Mordialloc that led to his arrest by the police. The man is not believed to have any links to racing or to the horse industry but it has been announced that he is known to the police.

They have not said if any of his former indiscretions also included arson but he is known to have lived in the area in the past, although his last known address is in Wangaratta.

Although the damage made to the Caulfield grandstand was significant, things could have been a lot worse. There was no injury to any humans and the damage is more superficial than structural which should mean that it will be a relatively easy rebuild.