A Casey single mother is speaking out after a house fire destroyed her rental home in the early hours of New Year’s Day, leaving her and her three-year-old son with nothing.
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) crews were called to her property at about 2.30am on January 1 following a Triple Zero (000) call reporting a house fire.
Firefighters arrived within seven minutes and mounted an internal and external attack on the blaze.
No one was home at the time, however crews were able to rescue a dog from inside the property.
An FRV spokesperson said the scene was handed over to the Country Fire Authority (CFA) shortly before 3am, with police notified due to “possible suspicious circumstances”.
The cause of the fire has not been officially confirmed and investigations remain ongoing.
However, authorities told her the fire may have been caused by a discarded cigarette or the amount of illegal fireworks being set off near her house.
The tenant, Katherine Passa, said she was at a friend’s house when she first learned something was wrong.
“My mum received a notification from the VicEmergency app saying my house was on fire,” she said.
“She rang me and said she would drive to the house to let me know how it was looking.”
Just minutes later, Katherine learned from a neighbour via Facebook that her house was on fire, with photos showing flames in the backyard.
Fortunately, her three-year-old son was staying with his father for the holidays and was not at the property at the time.
Katherine and her partner arrived at 3.30am and found the home fully engulfed in flames.
“The house is definitely not repairable and will need to be knocked down,” she said.
“I was quite in a lot of shock seeing how much damage there was and how much we had lost.
“Losing my home has felt disastrous and heart breaking. I have worked very hard to provide myself and my son with everything we had so it was hard seeing it all destroyed.”
The emotional toll deepened the following day when the family was forced to put down their 14 year old dog (Chief) the next day.
“He could not walk and the fire brigade did say there was lots of smoke in the house that would have affected Chief,” Katherine said.
“He was not doing well at all and felt it was time for him to get some peace after such a traumatic event.”
Among the losses were all of her son’s Christmas presents, including a new pee-wee motorbike he had been excited about, along with clothing, shoes, and essential items.
Katherine said explaining the situation to her son will be especially difficult.
“He’s deaf and wears cochlear implants, and he’s a bit behind in language,” she said.
“I don’t think he’ll fully understand what’s happened, but he will be shattered about his presents. At this stage, he doesn’t know yet.”
Katherine is temporarily staying with her parents while she searches for a new home, facing the double blow of navigating the rental market after losing everything in the fire.
“I would like people to understand that fireworks are illegal for a reason,” she said.
“Things go wrong and can be fatal to a person as well as landing in a backyard where innocent people and small children can lose everything they have worked so hard for.”
Neighbours believe the lack of council-run New Year’s Eve events in recent years may have contributed to more illegal fireworks being used in residential areas.
City of Casey Director Community Life Callum Pattie said illegal fireworks are a “big issue, not just in Casey, but right across Victoria and occur at this time of year regardless if Councils hosts events or not”.
“While community celebrations can give people other ways to mark the occasion, it never excuses the use of illegal fireworks and the danger this can have in the community,” he said.
Both Casey and Cardinia Shire Council emphasised their commitment to creating a safer community by discouraging illegal fireworks, educating the public on risks and penalties, promoting animal welfare, and collaborating with Victoria Police, CFA, and other emergency services to support enforcement.
“We ask that if you witness illegal fireworks, please report them directly to Victoria Police for investigation,” Cardinia’s General Manager Community and Planning Services, Debbie Tyson said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support: gofund.me/2ac28b113
