A bedroom of a Mooroopna home suffered extensive damage during a blaze on Monday, prompting renewed calls by the Country Fire Authority for people to install smoke alarms in all bedrooms and living areas.
Crews from Fire Rescue Victoria and Country Fire Authority were called to the single-storey weatherboard home in Gange St just before 1.40 pm after a caller to Triple Zero reported a fire inside a bedroom at the property.
“Crews arrived on scene in seven minutes to find the house well alight,” an FRV spokesperson confirmed.
Fire crews donned breathing apparatus before entering the property to fight the fire, bringing the blaze under control within 25 minutes.
The News understands one bedroom of the home was fully involved by fire while three-quarters of the home suffered smoke damage.
A CFA spokesperson confirmed the occupants of the home self-evacuated before fire crews arrived, however a male, 30, suffered some burns and smoke inhalation during the blaze.
He was assessed by Ambulance Victoria paramedics at the scene but did not require treatment or transportation to hospital.
Police were on the scene to monitor traffic in the area while Powercor attended to assess the home's power supply.
The CFA spokesperson said it was believed the fire was started by a young child with a stove lighter, with the children alerting their parents to the blaze.
“Two smoke alarms were present but did not have working batteries,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the incident was a timely reminder for Goulburn Valley residents to install smoke alarms in all bedrooms and living areas, and to ensure that their batteries were changed regularly and they were in working order.
“This increases the opportunity that a fire will be detected more quickly and will give your family the best chance of escape.
“Interconnection means that the smoke alarms communicate with each other, so that if one smoke alarm activates in one room all the smoke alarms activate, making it more likely that everyone will have the best chance of getting out before they are overcome by smoke.”