KEY POINTS:
MELBOURNE - Six people were rescued from a 30-metre-high thrill ride at Melbourne's Luna Park that stalled during a power blackout, while a nearby four-storey building caught fire from a short circuit.
Chaotic scenes developed at St Kilda's entertainment hub late last night as people were stuck on the Mad Mouse rollercoaster, while fourth-floor residents yelled for help from a dangerous inferno.
Dozens of emergency services crews converged on the fun park to pluck the frightened revellers from the ride, with the last two stranded for about two hours, a Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) spokesman said.
An elevated platform was used to rescue the revellers, who were stuck on the ride when the blackout wiped out power from Malvern to St Kilda.
"There was an overuse of air-conditioners which caused the blackout," Melbourne Fire Brigade (MFB) Commander Terry Kimpton said.
As rescue crews freed the Mad Mouse riders, they noticed smoke from a neighbouring building - the local RSL in Ackland Street, Mr Kimpton said.
"The fire was coming from the pokies area, where there was an electrical short-circuit, caused by the power (after returning to normal)," he said.
"A plastic sign had caught fire and it spread rapidly in the building."
Two RSL staff members fled the building, calling for help, Mr Kimpton said. About 10 residents were stranded on the fourth floor as the flames licked closer to their units.
"A man in his 70s was yelling and calling for help," Mr Kimpton said.
While a ladder was sent up to rescue the man, all the residents escaped down an internal staircase, Mr Kimpton said.
No one was hurt amid the chaos, but thick smoke engulfed the lively St Kilda area, packed with patrons and revellers.
Mr Kimpton said the Mad Mouse riders were calm as rescue crews told them how they would be saved.
"The people who were rescued were pretty cool and collected during the rescue," he said.
Police were called in to manage the traffic chaos.
"There are traffic lights out all over the place," Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) spokesman Ray Rowe said.
"All the power has gone out ... there are about eight people 30 metres up on the ride."
In 2005, five children and an adult were stranded on the Mad Mouse for about two hours.
Luna Park management did not take calls last night.
CitiPower & Powercor Australia spokesman Hugo Armstrong said about 5,000 customers in the areas of St Kilda, St Kilda West, Balaclava and Melbourne's St Kilda Road lost supply about 10.15pm local time (00.15 NZDT) last night.
Mr Armstrong said safety protection equipment at CitiPower's St Kilda substation came into operation in response to an unknown fault.
"Crews were immediately despatched and power was progressively restored from 11.10pm, with the last customers back on supply at about 11.30pm," he said.
"The root cause of the fault has not yet been identified, but with power now entirely restored, a full investigation is under way."
Mr Armstrong said CitiPower apologised to customers for the inconvenience caused by the fault.
- AAP
