When firefighter Kirby and his crew pulled up out the front of the weatherboard and fibro-cement structure they knew they had a battle on their hands.
Sassafras and Upwey pumpers soon arrived to join in the firefight and Incident Controller Kirby sectorised the job to protect a natural timber homestead on the west side of the fully involved home from being damaged.
Belgrave Captain Phil Keep worked alongside Martin Kirby as firefighters in breathing apparatus provided an external fire attack as the building had collapsed onto itself. As a car was present in the carport police began to verify if anyone was home through neighbours but it was established they were away at the time of the fire.
Part way through the call the gas meter at the front of the home exploded making a few members jump. It resulted in the gas pipes being involved in fire until the local authorities arrived to shut it down. The remains of the gas meter have still not been located.
Incident Controller Kirby said “It was a great team effort by all firefighters and brigades involved with their professionalism and commitment to the job which allowed me to focus on my job at hand”. Thirty firefighters were involved at the height of the blaze.
Due to the age of the home, the Incident Controller decided to treat and bag all gear involved as there may have been a chance asbestos was in the structure. Bayswater BA Van also attended and swapped over 24 cylinders by the end of the call.
Metro stopped trains from running along the rail line behind the property for a short period of time as smoke and flames were preventing drivers from passing through safely.
Police placed a guard on the property shortly after 2:30am until a Fire Investigator arrived later in the morning. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Images by Leah Kirby
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