Georgia Tacey
A Sunbury cafe is closed after a suspicious fire tore through the building.
Brown Cow Cafe in the Home Co shopping complex was set alight on Friday, June 6.
Fire Rescue Victoria said firefighters were on their way back to the station when they came across the blaze at 1.30am.
The crew immediately called for backup.
FRV and CFA worked together to get the fire contained quickly, with the incident being declared under control within 30 minutes.
FRV said adjoining businesses were impacted by smoke and crews ventilated them.
A worker from the cafe shared on Facebook that this is a hard time for all of the staff.
“This is honestly very saddening, we’ve lost a lot. A lot of damage is done,” they said.
“We are out of work now, this is very hard even for us staff.
“This is our second family and home, and it’s destroyed.”
They said multiple areas of the cafe have been damaged.
“Our memory wall is gone, from when we first opened our store,” they said.
“Our beautiful customer Karen who takes care of our plants, her hard work is gone.
“Our beautiful chef’s… kitchen may be destroyed and we don’t even know yet.”
Another worker shared on Facebook that many of the staff have been working there since the cafe’s opening.
“This is truly saddening… my heart goes out to my boss and my co-workers,” they said.
The reaction from the Sunbury community has been intense, with many expressing sadness at the loved cafe.
Brown Cow Cafe has been open since 2019 in Sunbury, serving up brunch favourites and coffee.
The store currently remains closed, with police tape out the front. There is no word yet on when the cafe will reopen.
The fire is being treated as suspicious and Victoria Police are investigating.
