Three adults, four children flee suspicious Melbourne house fire

Seven people, including three adults and four children, escaped a suspected arson attack at a home in Melbourne's north early Monday morning. Emergency services responded to the property on North Circular Road in Gladstone Park around 4:20 a.m. to find the house engulfed in flames.

Authorities reported finding a jerry can at the scene and were informed by witnesses that loud bangs were heard shortly before the blaze erupted. A crime scene has been established, and an arson chemist is expected to attend along with detectives to investigate the cause and circumstances of the fire.

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Three adults and four children were able to self-evacuate and were lucky to escape injury.

Police are examining whether this incident is connected to other recent fires. In a separate event, officers are also investigating a suspicious fire that occurred in a unit in nearby Airport West on Sunday night. While no one was injured in the Airport West fire, the unit was destroyed, and a neighboring unit sustained smoke damage. A fire at a double-storey unit in Reservoir shortly before midnight is also being investigated, with the cause unknown but appearing to have started in the garage.

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Police will investigate whether the fire is linked to any other recent incidents.