- Published:
- Wednesday, 8 July 2020 at 7:36 pm
Thankfully the other occupant escaped when the fire took hold at the Kelmar Street property just after 5:30am.
Firefighters arrived on scene in five and a half minutes, and wearing breathing apparatus for protection from the smoke entered the property to search for the man and bring him to safety.
Ambulance Victoria paramedics assessed all occupants at the scene.
The fire quickly spread to the roof space of the house and was threatening to spread to the neighbouring property; however FRV crews were able to bring the fire under control within just 15 minutes.
There was a lot of smoke in the area, and a community advice message was issued for Cheltenham residents asking them to avoid the area and keep roads clear for emergency services.
FRV crews will remain on scene for some time to ensure the fire has been completely extinguished.
At this stage it is not yet known what caused the fire to start.
At the height of the blaze there were approximately 28 Firefighters on scene on board five pumpers, a rescue unit, and three other Command and support units.
UPDATE as of 1:00PM 9 July 2020
Firefighters have finished their investigations and believe the fire started as a result of an electric heater malfunctioning.
There were no working smoke alarms in the home, and the residents were only alerted as one was awake and smelt the smoke.
In an emergency, every second counts. A fire only takes two to three minutes to cause significant damage to property and put people’s lives at risk.
Smoke alarms are your first line of defence in the event of a fire.
When you are asleep, your sense of smell lessens and you may not smell smoke to alert you in the event of a fire.
This is why it is vital to have smoke alarms in the right areas of your home and ensure multiple alarms are interconnected.
For more information about smoke alarms visit frv.vic.gov.au/smoke-alarms
Updated