A major fire has ripped through Belvoir St Theatre’s set building workshop in the inner west suburb of Marrickville. The building at 126-134 Victoria Road caught light on Monday afternoon and at one point, as many as 80 firefighters were engaged in extinguishing a blaze that continued in to the night. Smoke from the blaze drifted widely across the Inner West.

Firefighting operations are continuing into Tuesday as fire crews deal with hotspots and work to make the structurally damaged site safe.

Belvoir St Theatre’s set building facility in Marrickville.The warehouse is not owned by Belvoir but the company has rented the space since 2009. As well as being used for building sets it also serves as a storage facility. No-one was injured in the blaze.

As yet, there is no word on what effect – if any – the fire will have on the company’s next production, a revival of S. Shakthidharan & Eamon Flack’s The Jungle & the Sea, but the theatre company have said that it is “determined” to make sure it goes ahead.

The Jungle and the Sea, Belvoir, 2022. Photo © Sriram Jeyaraman

A spokesperson for Belvoir wrote:

“This is a big loss for Belvoir, but our focus now is on supporting our people and assessing the impact on our productions and equipment.

We’re determined to make sure our upcoming season of The Jungle & the Sea will go ahead as planned while we work through the practical implications of the fire.

A few years ago our Construction Manager Daz made a sign that he hung in the workshop: MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. This is where we stored past sets and built future ones.

Losing that space is devastating.

If you would like to support us, the most meaningful ways are to buy a ticket, become a season ticket holder, or make a donation. Every contribution helps keep this four-decades-long unlikely undertaking going. In coming days, we will share more information on how to assist us with rebuilding.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out with messages of support. We will share further updates as we learn more.”