Dozens of firefighters have battled an early morning blaze at the former Jam Factory precinct, where a section of the site is being demolished for redevelopment.

Police said the fire started in a construction site near the intersection of Chapel and Garden streets in South Yarra about 1.40am on Friday.

Several people called triple zero after seeing smoke billowing from the building.

“No one was on site during the incident. The cause of the blaze is yet to be determined,” police said.

A crime scene has been established and police and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) are investigating how the fire started.

FRV senior station officer David May said firefighters had the flames under control but it was proving difficult to extinguish.

“[Three-quarters] of the building has been brought down [by

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