The Springvale incident occurred at 3:45am on Burrapike Avenue when a vehicle in the front yard was set alight. Eight people were inside at the time. The flames reached the house, causing minor damage. The family told the ABC it was the second time one of their cars had been firebombed.
About two hours earlier, firefighters in Reservoir found two cars alight on Pallant Avenue. Approximately 20 minutes later, two more cars were engulfed in flames in the front yard of a home on Boldrewood Parade, about five kilometres away. All four vehicles were destroyed. Police said those two arson attacks were linked.
At around 5am, crews responded to a car fire in a driveway on Kuranda Crescent in Oakleigh East. Four people were inside the house at the time but were not harmed. The house suffered minor damage.
Victoria Police spokesperson John McLaughlan said officers had set up crime scenes at all three locations. "We'll investigate any links between incidents on a case-by-case basis," he told ABC Melbourne. "We haven't got any intelligence to suggest all these incidents are linked at this stage, but our relevant crime investigation units in different areas will continue to look at those."
Earlier attacks this week occurred in Balwyn North, Maidstone, Keilor and Taylors Hill. A teenager who was burned during the Taylors Hill incident remains in hospital fighting for life.