Jennifer Pittorino
In the early hours of Wednesday, May 10, a house in Altona Meadows caught fire.
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) was alerted at .:15am to 4 Brown Avenue, when multiple triple-0 calls were made to the fire department.
There was one person in the house at the time of the fire, who evacuated the property and was checked over by paramedics on the scene.
The calls detailed a house fire with flames issuing, additional firefighting trucks were immediately responded to assist, with 11 FRV units responding in total.
Within minutes, approximately 30 FRV firefighters arrived at the residential property, confirming the house was engulfed in flames.
First responders reported the flames were billowing through the tiled roof of the single story brick house, which later collapsed on the property.
Given the magnitude of the fire, the properties surrounding the house were threatened and firefighters actively focused on preserving the rest of the street.
The fire took 45 minutes to bring under control however thick black smoke continues to cover the surrounding area.
A community advice message was issued due to the smoke advising the public to avoid the area where possible.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, FRV firefighters remained on scene throughout the morning to finish extinguishing the fire.
