Police are investigating a suspicious fire that has caused hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to the Signarama franchise in west Melbourne.
Firefighters and police were called to the TLC digital + premises at Ireland Street after residents noticed smoke billowing from the building around 8.45pm on Saturday night.
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade said it took 30 firefighters almost two hours to bring the blaze under control, with the help of the building's sprinkler system. No one was injured but police issued a community warning for residents in north and west Melbourne because of concerns about smoke inhalation.
Victoria police said the fire was being treated as suspicious and appealed for help from anyone who may have witnessed any unusual activity in the area around Ireland Street in the lead up to the fire.
The TLC digital website describes the business as proud owners of the Signarama Melbourne CBD franchise.
It's understood owner Barry Webster was out of town on a fishing trip with friends when the fire happened.
Signarama national director Evan Foster said Webster bought the CDB franchise at Spencer Street a couple of years ago before the building was knocked down and he relocated the business to his TLC facility in west Melbourne, where it operated in a separate part of the building.
It appears that the Signarama section of the business was the target of the arson and suffered most of the damage.
"A jerry can and multiple points of ignition were found in the Signarama room," said Foster. "They've lost two wide format printers, a flatbed, a laminator and a lot of other kit. Insurance teams have been in there assessing the extent of the damage but it will run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"Our support guys are down there now helping Barry and his wife Julie and we're doing all we can to look after our customers. Other Signarama stores in our network have been fantastic in helping to get the work done."
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au