Fire rips through restaurant in Melbourne's Chinatown

PHOTO: Fire crews were forced to tackle the Chinatown blaze in Melbourne from above. (ABC News)

Fire has ripped through a restaurant in the heart of Chinatown in Melbourne's CBD in the early hours of the morning.

Emergency crews were called just after midnight to the iHotPot restaurant near the corner of Little Bourke Street and Market Lane.

The fire started in the kitchen on the ground floor and quickly spread to the second floor.

Flames could be seen burning through the restaurant's roof and crews were forced to use what is known as a teleboom, to get above the building to extinguish the blaze.

MFB commander Dominic Scarfe said no-one was inside the building and investigators were trying work out how the fire started.

"So whether it was a stove or some electric equipment or something that's been left on, we're unsure at this stage," he said.

Commander Scarfe said the blaze had caused extensive damage to the business.

"The owners won't be in business for some time," he said.

Source: ABC - 22nd August 2014