Royal Children's Hospital mental health service 'engulfed in flames'
The Royal Children's Hospital's mental health unit was engulfed in flames early Saturday morning in a suspicious fire.
An 18-year old Brunswick woman was arrested at a nearby tram stop shortly afterwards.
She was taken into custody and charged Saturday morning with one count of criminal damage by fire.
The building, part of the hospital's Travancore campus, caters for children up to 15 in the northern and western suburbs and generally treats patients with the most severe and complex illnesses. It was unoccupied at the time of the blaze.
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade arrived at the Flemington Street campus just after 2am to find the single-storey brick building ablaze.
Parts of the building collapsed early in the fire and there are suggestions it may need to be demolished.
Twenty-five MFB officers worked for 30 minutes to bring the fire under control, fighting to protect the nearby Children's Centre which was being threatened by the blaze.
Smoke produced by the fire prompted a community advice warning to be issued to the surrounding area.
The MFB reports no injuries were caused by the blaze.
The mental health facility provides both in and outpatient care.
The fire comes at a time when services for acute mental illnesses are under severe strain. The Andrews government has announced a royal commission into mental health.
More to come