The motive of a man who set himself on fire and caused an explosion at a busy Melbourne bank, injuring himself and 26 others, is still to be determined.



The 21-year-old, said to be a member of the Burmese community, walked into the Commonwealth Bank in Springvale carrying a container of flammable accelerant and started a fire at 11.30am on Friday.



The explosion injured the man and 26 others, including three children, who were all taken to hospital.



Six of the worst injured, including the man who started the fire, were rushed to The Alfred hospital with serious burns.



One remains in a critical condition, one is critical but stable, one is serious but stable and three patients are listed as stable.

Police are yet to establish the man’s motive and say its “too early to tell” whether it is terror related.



According to an ABC report, the suspect arrived by boat in Australia in 2013 and was seeking a temporary protection visa.

Witnesses said the incident turned the busy Springvale Road shopping strip into a scene like a war zone, and that they saw people covered in charcoal – some with “skin hanging off everywhere”.



A spokesman for the Country Fire Authority, Paul Carrigg, told reporters the brigade had responded to reports of a person on fire inside the bank. He said they arrived within about 90 seconds of the call and found the front doors of the bank closed.

Entering with breathing apparatus and hoselines, they rescued 25 people with a range of injuries and provided first aid outside the building.



A police spokeswoman said an accelerant had been used, but it was unclear exactly what it was, or whether the man had set fire to himself or to part of the bank.

It is understood the badly-burnt man was arrested by police in a laneway at the rear of the bank shortly after the explosion and was heard yelling that the bank would not give him money for food.

Video posted on Twitter appeared to show flames inside the building and black smoke engulfing the bank.

Commonwealth Bank fire in Springvale. Looks like an explosion? pic.twitter.com/rAYZGAgsC7 — Solf (@sunprawn) November 18, 2016

Carrigg said it was “amazing” no one had lost their life.

“Very lucky, and it was a combined effort I think by civilians, witnesses who were in attendance, and the emergency services response was fantastic.”

Witness Ashley Atkin-Fone was in a nearby lane when he heard a loud explosion followed by people screaming.



“This kid comes running out, screaming his head off with skin hanging off everywhere,” he told AAP at the scene.

“I ran across the road to Optus, grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to put the fire out.”

Atkin-Fone said he entered the bank but people had already been evacuated from the back exit as the fire alarms rang out.

“I was four metres inside choking and just shouting, ‘Is anybody inside?’”

Police and emergency services said they responded to initial reports of a fire at about 11.30am.

Four fire trucks were deployed and the blaze had been brought under control by 12.25pm.

More than 20 injured in fire incident at a bank in Springvale: https://t.co/EcHak8waBO pic.twitter.com/kCGSUngLNl — 7 News Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) November 18, 2016

The Commonwealth Bank said in a statement its first priority was the safety of staff and customers.

“As a result the branch will remain closed for the rest of the day,” a spokesman said. “Our response team is on site and we are working closely with local authorities and emergency services.”

A worker from a neighbouring clothing store told AAP he heard an explosion and called emergency services.

“I heard an explosion but not that loud,” said the man, who did not want to be named. “I just walked out of the shop to have a look and I called triple-zero.

“There was lots of smoke coming out of the bank.”

Five or 10 minutes later, injured people came from the Commonwealth Bank with burns, he said.

Police subsequently told the retailer to close his store and stay inside.