Bacchus Marsh and Melton Brigades responded to the reported structure fire at approximately 10.30am, and initially did not see any smoke visible on the approach to the incident due to the strong wind and weather conditions. Additional resources were responded on arrival due to the large amount of smoke issuing from the building. The fire was hard to locate as it was in the roof of the structure and initial crews were not certain where the seat of the fire was located.
Once the primary search was completed and it was determined that all the occupants had been evacuated, further investigation was needed to locate the seat of the fire.
Crews made entry to the garage and found that the fire was well established in the garage and roof area, with extension into the loungeroom and kitchen.
Additional resources were provided by Melton and Coimadai CFA brigades, Thermal Imaging equipment from Fiskville and BA Support from Corio.
Atmospheric testing was conducted for fire fighter safety as well as Ambulance Victoria attending for member welfare.
Initial crews were able to knock down the fire before it spread laterally through the roof space and were assisted by further support from the Melton BA crews who did a thorough check of the remaining roof space to ensure the fire was fully extinguished.
Thanks to the rapid response, the fire was able to be contained to the garage and a small portion of the home. District 14 Fire Investigator Senior Station Officer Steve Attard from Hoppers Crossing said that the brigade’s actions ultimately saved the house from further significant damage.
The cause of the fire was deemed to be was caused by car batteries and paint thinners stored together in a cupboard.
Image courtesy Natasha Hurst.
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