By Brendan Rees
A body has been found after a house went up in flames in Narre Warren on Saturday 28 March.
Emergency services were called to Linlithgow Court about 3.30am.
Fire crews from Hallam and Narre Warren brought the blaze under control in just over half-an-hour before the body was found inside the burnt-out house.
“The exact circumstances surrounding the fire and death are yet to be determined,” Senior Constable Adam West said.
Police are investigating.
Meanwhile, firefighters responded to a shed fire in Pearcedale on Noaki Street about 10.30pm on Saturday, 28 March.
About 30 firefighters were on scene after neighbours reportedly heard a loud bang which “shook” their homes and “rattled windows”.
A convoy of fire trucks from Pearcedale, Baxter, Somerville, Cranbourne, Devon Meadows, and Tyabb helped bring the blaze under control within an hour.
The fire is believed to have been caused by a burn-off at the property which spread to the shed – where about 30 hay bales went up in flames.
There were no reported injuries.
The loud bang was heard as far as Warneet and Somerville – and is believed to have been the result of acetylene bottle (a compressed gas) exploding in the 20 by 20 metre shed.
“The owner had been doing some burning off,” Pearcedale CFA firefighter Robyn Murphy said. “Obviously something heated up near their shed and the oxy-bottle exploded.”
Large trees with exposed roots had also caught fire on the property – which had proven difficult for firefighters to access, Ms Murphy said.
“We had to slash our way through some blackberries and other vegetation to get to the back of the trees which backed on to a dam,” she said.
Ms Murphy said fire crews initially had trouble getting to the scene of the blaze as onlookers blocked their path.
“They actually had traffic congestion in the dirt road; they had people in front of them that wouldn’t or couldn’t get out of the way and people behind them – even though they’ve got their sirens on.”
“It took a little while to find it because there was no fire when it first went up after the bang so it was about 10 minutes finding where it actually was.”
Crews had also returned the following morning, where they stayed until 11.40am, pulling out and dispersing the burnt-out hay to prevent further smouldering.
CFA had issued a safety message to residents at the time, warning people of the fire, which said there was no threat to the community.
The fire had not threaten the owner’s home or other neighbouring properties.
Anyone with information in relation the Narre Warren fire is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online.
