Cranbourne man Darin Allen fought desperately to put out a blaze that killed an elderlyCranbourne woman on Tuesday morning.Police and fire investigators are looking into the cause of the Camms Road fire.By Alison Noonan
MYSTERY surrounds the death of a Cranbourne woman whose body was found in a burning house on Tuesday.
Dedicated church goer and active community member Rita Byrne, 77, was alone in her Camms Road home when fire broke out about 6.45am.
Cranbourne man Darin Allen raised the alarm after noticing smoke billowing from the roof as he drove past on his way to work.
He woke Mrs Byrne’s neighbour Bill Johnson and the pair forced their way to the back yard of the house.
“I tried two neighbours before I got a response,” Mr Allen said.
“We forced the gate open and ran to the back of the house. We saw flames coming from the kitchen and I grabbed the garden hose.”
Mr Allen said he attempted to break into the home but was held back by the intense heat.
“So I smashed the kitchen window and tried to put (the fire) out with the hose,” he said.
“I had 99 per cent of it out by the time the CFA arrived.
“The firefighters said if we hadn’t got there when we did the whole place would have gone up in flames.”
Mr Allen said he was shaken by the morning’s tragic events, but relieved the woman’s family would still have tangible memories.
“It is always unpleasant when you are in the proximity of someone losing their life,” he said.
“But I am glad that the fire wasn’t worse so the family will still have memories and photos.”
Cranbourne CIU Senior Detective Rod Maroney said the Arson Squad was investigating the cause of the blaze.
He said smoke inhalation was thought to be the most likely cause of Mrs Byrne’s death.
Police said they were treating the fire as suspicious.
CFA Operations Officer Trevor Owen said the fire was confined to the kitchen and dining area of the singlestorey brick veneer house.
He said it appeared Mrs Byrne had attempted to escape via the back laundry door but was unable to unlock a security door.
“The front door had a key in the lock but the back door was deadlocked, which impeded her escape,” he said.
“People need to make sure when at home that a key is inside the deadlock at all times so the door can be unlocked quickly in the event of emergency.”
St Agatha’s Catholic Church priest Father Andrew Wise said Mrs Byrne was a valuable member of the church who would be sadly missed.
“Mrs Byrne had been an involved parishioner for many, many years,” he said. “She was very supportive of the church and a dedicated choir member.
“The church community has been shocked by her tragic death.”
Police are appealing for anyone who saw smoke coming from the house about 6.30am to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
