Metal canisters fly through air during explosive tobacco shop fire in Melbourne suburb of Craigieburn
Residents in Melbourne’s north were rocked by blasts and flying debris as a tobacco shop went up in flames at the weekend.
Fourteen emergency service vehicles attended the Craigieburn building fire at the intersection of Smeaton Crt and Bridgewater Rd at 3.30am on Sunday.
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Footage shows intense flames billowing from the building before explosions rock homes on the street.
The sound of metal canisters being blown into the air can then be heard and many landed in the backyards of nearby residents.
One of the larger canisters damaged roof tiles on one home 200m from the building and another became wedged deep in a backyard lawn.
“(It was) like a grenade. A bomb,” one resident told 7NEWS.
The canisters are usually filled with compressed carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide.
Police have described the blaze as suspicious and said they were probing “any links it may have to recent fires”.
