A fire that nearly burnt down a brothel in Canberra's north on Sunday night was an arson attack, according to police.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Forensic investigators were on the scene yesterday at the Gentlemen's Club in Mitchell, after the blaze caused extensive heat and smoke damage to the brothel's interior.
ACT Fire and Rescue called police to the Grimwade Street brothel after firefighters stopped flames from engulfing the whole building about 11pm on Sunday.
No one was inside the club when the fire started.
ACT Policing have established a crime scene and a spokesman said detectives were making inquiries.
Do you know more? Contact Police Reporter Christopher Knaus on 02 6280 2254 or email christopher.knaus@canberratimes.com.au
Staff at the Kitten Club brothel, just opposite the Gentlemen's Club, had called triple-0 after seeing plumes of smoke rising from the roof.
Kitten Club manager Fan Fan told The Canberra Times he had smelt ''a lot of smoke'' coming from the brothel, and had run to check if anyone was trapped inside.
''It smelled very bad,'' he said.
''We went downstairs and checked where the smoke came from, and could see it was from the Gentlemen's Club, from the roof.
''There was nobody in there because the doorbell kept ringing, there was nobody inside, so I called the firefighters.''
The owner of the Gentlemen's Club declined to discuss the incident when approached for comment yesterday.
The fire is the second suspicious blaze at a Mitchell brothel in the past 18 months.
A blaze at the Studio 44 brothel on Hoskins Street left a man in a critical condition in June 2010.
Police are seeking witnesses to the latest fire and ask anyone who saw suspicious behaviour near the club between 6pm and 11pm on Sunday to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers website on www.act.crimestoppers.com.au
