“Some witnesses directed us to him, and he was arrested nearby on a train,” Hough said.
Police are now investigating whether the grandstand blaze is linked to a series of fires in and around the residential area near Caulfield Racecourse.
This includes several suspicious grass fires in Mordialloc that started around midday on Tuesday, hours after the racecourse fire was started, a series of small fires in Arnott Street in Caulfield, near Attenborough Park, and a fire in a reserve in Aspendale. No one was injured in the fires.
On Tuesday, a Melbourne Racing Club spokesperson said the racecourse fire started in The 1876 bar on the first level of the Norman Robinson Stand.
Another bar and an adjoining stand also sustained water damage.
Melbourne Racing Club chairman John Kanga said on Tuesday the club was gutted by the news.
“It’s a very old stand and a unique stand, and one of our favourite stands for our members,” he said. “So we’re gutted as a club, but we’re keen to rebuild.”
Fire Rescue Victoria acting assistant chief fire officer Dennis Smith said the first and second levels of the timber stand were the worst affected, but a quick response from firefighters and the club’s sprinkler system stopped the fire from spreading.
“Considering it’s a historic building and there’s been some damage there, it could’ve been a lot worse,” he said at the racecourse.
A firefighter was taken to hospital with a cut to his hand that would probably require stitches. About 17 fire trucks and more than 70 firefighters battled the blaze.
Bird was remanded in custody and will appear in court again on April 1.
With Cassandra Morgan
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