DECEMBER 14, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Saigon market gutted By Benjamin Millar The community is rallying behind businesses and a charity devastated by the loss of the Little Saigon market. A blaze tore through the iconic market on Tuesday morning, sending palls of black smoke billowing across Footscray and Seddon. Fire crews were called to the marketplace about 6am after fire broke out in a refrigeration system above a cool room. Nearby residents were warned to close all doors, windows and vents as 75 firefighters battled for more than six hours before declaring the fire contained soon after noon. The blaze destroyed stock valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as thousands of school textbooks and Christmas presents that had been donated to the Les Twentyman Foundation. The Seddon Community Bank branch will set up a drop-off point for new donations to Les Twentyman’s charity at the Carols in the Yarraville Gardens event this Saturday. Vietnamese Community in Australia president Viv Nguyen said the market, which opened in 1992, had been an important meeting place for Melbourne’s Vietnamese Australian community. “For us, Footscray is a name that a lot of Vietnamese Australians hold dear,” she said. “I think it’s really important the community gets behind them.” Footscray Traders Association president and Littlefoot bar co-owner Stuart Lucca-Pope said the fire will have a flow-on effect throughout Footscray and beyond. “It will have a massive impact on traders in the lead-up to Christmas, especially for local traders who depend on it,” he said. “We source our goods from there. Thankfully, we have still got the Footscray Market, but a lot of produce is only available there at Little Saigon.” Mr Lucca-Pope said he wants to work with landlords in the area to determine whether any short-term arrangements can be made for trading to continue out of other premises. Loc Lam, co-owner of the Little Saigon building with Binh Le for more than 20 years, said he was devastated. “A terrible thing has happened,” he said. Mr Lam vowed to rebuild the market, which included 30 shops, as part of a Little Saigon redevelopment. Maribyrnong council approved plans in 2011 for a new $70 million mixed-use development of Little Saigon, which includes two towers of eight and 12 levels respectively, comprising 260 apartments, above a ground-level market.
Fire tore through the heart of Footscray’s Little Saigon market. (Pictures: Kenny Weir)
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