Suspicious fire takes hold of Fitzroy apartment

Firefighters arrived on scene within five minutes to find a ground floor apartment fully involved in the blaze.

Wearing breathing apparatus, firefighters conducted a search of the apartment to ensure no one was trapped inside.

A number of neighbouring residents were evacuated from the building as a safety precaution while firefighters worked to knock down the fire.

The fire was declared under control less than 20 minutes after FRV crews arrived at the scene.

The apartment is heavily smoke logged and firefighters are expected to remain on scene for some time removing the smoke and extinguishing hot spots.

The fire is believed to be suspicious and the scene will be handed over to Victoria Police to investigate.

At the height of the incident there were seven firefighting appliances at the scene, along with three additional support units.

Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria were also at the scene.