Much-loved 166-year-old racecourse erupts in flames as firefighters battle huge blaze in grandstand

A MASSIVE fire has broken out at one of Australia’s most famous horse racing tracks.

According to the Today programme, firefighters battled the large blaze at the historic Caulfield Racecourse in Caulfield East.

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Firefighters are battling the huge blaze at the historic Caulfield Racecourse[/caption]

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A fire has broken out at one of Australia’s most famous horse racing tracks[/caption]

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The flames have engulfed parts of the grandstand and a restaurant[/caption]

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A smoke warning has been issued in the area[/caption]

The flames have engulfed parts of the grandstand as well as a restaurant.

The situation has led to authorities issuing a a smoke warning in the area.

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) announced crews responded about 6.20am on Tuesday to reports of an incident on Station Street.

A video was posted on social media and showed flames at the back of the stand’s first level at about 7am.

And a VicEmergency warning showed 11 vehicles responding to the incident.

FRV added that the response was escalated to third-alarm level but was contained to the centre of the grandstand and deemed under control by 7.09am.

An advice message was then issued to the relevant areas around the incident.

It covered the suburbs of Ashburton, Carnegie, Caulfield, Caulfield East, Caulfield North, Caulfield South, Glen Huntly, Glen Iris, Malvern, Malvern East, Murrumbeena and Ormond.

An alert said: “There is currently no threat to the community, but you should continue to stay informed and monitor conditions.”

The beloved venue is one of Australia’s biggest landmarks of horse racing.

It held its first ever event way back in 1859 and has continued to host huge events for the past 166 years.

It’s biggest event is the Caulfield Cup, held every spring, with a pot of £2.5million up for grabs.