Twenty hurt after man sets fire to Australia bank

A man has reportedly set himself on fire within a Commonwealth Bank in Melbourne’s south-east.

Twenty-one people, including three children kids have breathing problems and are stable, the service said.

The man, believed to be 21, has been taken to The Alfred hospital with serious burns.

CFA operations officer Paul Carrigg said there was “evidence of an explosion” and it was “amazing” no one had lost their life.

The incident took place on Friday, 18 November, at around 11.30am local time (0.30am BST) in Springvale, leaving scores of people wounded, police inspector Jacqui Poida of Victoria Police said.

A 21-year-old man is alleged to have set the fire using some sort of accelerant.

“I heard a loud bang – it sounded like firecrackers – there was smoke everywhere”, he said.

The statement said: “We are deeply concerned for everyone who has been affected and we continue to work with local authorities and emergency services to provide any assistance required”.

He says he was in shock and sprinted over the road and used a fire extinguisher to help reduce the flames, allowing people to get out of the burning building.

Plumes of black smoke started pouring out of the bank.

Matt Comyn, Commonwealth Bank Group Executive Retail Banking Services, said the bank’s throughts were with those injured and affected and that it had been working with emergency services to provide assistance.

“It’s bloody terrible”, he said of the fire.

He entered the bank but people had already been evacuated from the back exit as the fire alarms ran out.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is a multinational bank with locations in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Asia, the U.S. and the UK.

“The department is going to starve thousands of people out of the country, or so they think”, Curr said. “I was … inside choking and just shouting, ‘Is anybody inside?'”