A children’s play centre in Melbourne‘s west has been targeted by arsonists for the third time in four days, with police now believing the incidents are linked.
Police are now patrolling the area after windows were smashed and multiple fires were lit inside the property.
The centre was forced to close down during the peak school holiday period, announcing that the closure was due to the damage caused by the repeated attacks by vandals.
Police said the first alleged attack occurred on Friday March 29 around 10.25pm when a man smashed through a window at the centre before fleeing on foot.
A few hours later, around 2.35am on Saturday, police said four alleged offenders arrived at the premises and deliberately lit a fire inside.
The offenders fled the scene and were last seen driving down Ballarat Road.
In the most recent incident, the offenders smashed the front window of the building and set fire to the kitchen shortly before 3am today.
Police said the kitchen sustained significant damage during the blaze.
The acts of vandalism left the centre with significant damage, with the operators posting to social media about the incident.
It’s unknown at this stage why the centre has been targeted.
“We are extremely disheartened by this unfortunate event and the inconvenience it may cause to our customers, especially those who had parties booked and those who had booked tickets this school holidays,” a statement read.
”We hope to commence repairs and resume operations as soon as possible.”
Investigators are treating the incidents as linked and urging any witnesses to come forward.
