A 105-year-old Footscray woman was rescued from her home after a fire broke out on Monday night.
An alert neighbour entered the Commercial Road house from the front and led the woman to safety just before firefighters arrived.
The woman and her 85-year-old son were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
Twenty-two firefighters battled the fire, which caused about $300,000 worth of damage.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing but authorities believe the man was cooking at the time of the incident.
