A FAMILY has been left homeless and most of their possessions destroyed, after a fire engulfed their St Albans house on Friday morning.
Sunshine MFB Senior Station Officer, John Dale, said members were initially called to a “couch fire” in Bent St, around 9.40am.
“In between us being despatched and arriving at the house, a second call came in that the house was totally involved in the fire,” Mr Dale said.
“When we arrived at the scene, we found the weatherboard dwelling totally involved in the fire; at the back of the house, the fire was into the roof space, which made it a very difficult fire to control.”
About 20 firefighters and seven units attended the blaze, with members forced to wear breathing apparatus due to thick smoke. “It was a very hot fire. The houses there are very close together and we did have concerns that the fire might spread to the dwelling next door,” Mr Dale said.
“We were able to put a cover line between the houses and the only damage to the other property was to some fence palings and a fibreglass pergola roof.”
He said an operating smoke alarm in the house may have saved the occupants’ lives.
“The occupants, I believe, were a brother and sister and a young child of three or four years of age and their dogs,” he said.
“When we got the first call about the couch fire, the call taker heard an alarm operating in the background; they had a working smoke alarm which alerted them to the situation and allowed them to vacate the property in time.”
It is believed the fire may have started from a child playing with a cigarette lighter. Police have arranged emergency accommodation for the family.
