Beds are burning

MULTIPLE house fires in Casey have sparked firefighters to renew calls for residents to be extra vigilant with home fire safety.
Berwick Fire Brigade captain Alan Boyd said many people were focused on the potential of another bad summer but needed to remember that house fires occurred throughout the year.
He said firefighters had noticed an increase in the number of house fires in the municipality over recent months.
The CFA as a whole attends to more than 1000 house fires every year.
According to Captain Boyd, many of the house fires were due to carelessness or poor home fire safety practices.
“Home fire safety is a 24/7 respon-sibility all year round,” Captain Boyd said.
Firefighters battled a blaze at a Berwick house last Saturday.
Local residents walking to a nearby auction noticed flames and smoke coming from a house in McNabb Street and called 000 around 1.30pm.
Firefighters from Berwick and Narre Warren rushed to the scene to find the upper floor well alight, with flames leaping from the building.
Captain Boyd said the occupants of the house had recently gone out and no one was home when the fire started.
The crews used breathing apparatus to fight the fire and managed to contain it to the upper floor.
“One bedroom was gutted and anoth-er severely damaged by the intense heat and smoke from the fire,” Captain Boyd said.
Fire investigators were called to determine what started the blaze, with an electrical appliance believed to have been the cause.
Captain Boyd said most house fires started in the kitchen, with kitchen stoves being a major fire hazard.
“We regularly attend calls where cooking has been left unattended. Stoves and grills with grease and fat buildup is a particular issue,” he said.
Later on Saturday, the firefighters were called out to another house fire in Berwick.
Captain Boyd said vandals had lit a fire inside a derelict house along Golf Links Road.
The following day, the firefighters got a call about a second fire at the same abandoned house.
On Sunday night, the Berwick Fire Brigade was called out to assist Narre Warren firefighters with a house fire in Fleetwood Drive in Narre Warren.
Captain Boyd said smoke alarms save lives.
“We often go into houses where smoke alarms are not working which may be due to deliberate removal, flat batteries or maintenance work. But they are a critical part of any household fire safety plan,” Captain Boyd said.
Police are investigating a house fire in Hallam on Thursday 22 October, which left the property with a damage bill of $200,000.
Leading Senior Constable Cynthia Cameron said a single mother and her five children were living at the Marjoram Close house.
According to police, the mother left the house with her children at 8.35am and came back at 8.50am to find the house was on fire. Two pets, a dog and a cat, died in the blaze.Police are calling for witnesses.
Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Senior Constable Paul Stow at Casey CIU on 9705 3111.
Visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au for more information about home fire safety.