Blaze

A BERWICK house has been destroyed after a fierce blaze on Monday night.
Emergency services were alerted about the fire just before 8pm, with callers reporting the two-storey house on Albrecht Avenue was “well alight and burning fiercely.”
CFA crews from Berwick and Beaconsfield rushed to the scene.
Berwick Fire Brigade Captain Alan Boyd said the fire was burning in 75 per cent of the house and a section of the roof had collapsed.
Captain Boyd said two occupants of the house were checked by ambulance officers after one of them, an elderly lady, collapsed as firefighters battled to get the upper hand.
“An external attack was mounted by CFA firefighters wearing breathing apparatus in the thick toxic smoke,” Captain Boyd said.
“Firefighters could not enter the building because of the collapsing roof and concerns about the integrity of some of the upper walls.”
It took around 15 minutes for crews to bring the blaze under control. The CFA’s latest addition to its fleet, a $1.2 million aerial ladder platform truck was called in from Dandenong.
Captain Boyd said crews used the unit to access the fire from above and extinguish difficult pockets in the upper storey.
Firefighters remained on scene until nearly midnight, mopping up hot spots to ensure the fire was out. It is believed the fire started when fuel vapours in the garage ignited after a scent burning lamp was lit.