Chinatown fire shrouds Melbourne’s skyline in smoke

A large blaze at a vacant restaurant in Melbourne’s bustling Chinatown shrouded the CBD in smoke last night.

Emergency services were called to the fire at the Heffernan Lane building about 9pm.

Video shared to social media showed smoke pouring from the outlet, as firefighters worked to bring it under control.

Several apartments near the empty restaurant had to be evacuated.

No one was injured in the blaze, which was extinguished in under one hour.

Police have since deemed the fire suspicious, and investigations are ongoing.