Police investigate two suspicious Melbourne house fires
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Police are investigating two suspicious house fires that occurred minutes apart in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
- The first fire damaged an empty house in Keilor Downs.
- In Taylors Lakes, three residents evacuated a home after fires in two vehicles spread to the property.
Police are investigating two suspicious house fires that erupted just minutes apart in Melbourne's northern suburbs. Emergency services responded to a blaze at a single-story brick house on Morecambe Crescent in Keilor Downs around 2:45 a.m. Fire Rescue Victoria reported that over 20 firefighters battled the flames, which caused significant damage to the unoccupied property. The fire was brought under control within approximately 30 minutes, and authorities have deemed it suspicious. An investigation into this incident is ongoing. Less than 15 minutes later and less than two kilometers away, fire crews were dispatched to a property on Pindari Avenue in Taylors Lakes. Upon arrival, firefighters found two vehicles in a carport engulfed in flames, with the fire spreading to the adjacent house. Three occupants of the home were able to evacuate safely and were unharmed. Firefighters contained the blaze, preventing it from spreading to neighboring residences. Victoria Police has also classified this fire as suspicious and has launched an investigation. At this stage, police are not treating the two fires as connected. Authorities are appealing to the public for any information that could assist their investigations, urging anyone with details to contact Crime Stoppers.
Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.