A family has narrowly escaped a ferocious blaze that destroyed a townhouse in Melbourne’s south-east overnight.
The fire is believed to have broken out at the back of the home on Forster Crescent in Bentleigh East about 11.15pm on Wednesday. It engulfed the property, trapping four people, Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) said.
A woman in her 40s leapt from the first-floor balcony to escape before firefighters arrived, an FRV spokeswoman said.
The mother, two teenage girls, and the boyfriend of one of the girls were trapped inside when neighbours heard them screaming for help, Nine’s Today reported.
A neighbour brought out ladders to help the family climb down from the top of a garage. Some of the occupants jumped into tall trees close to the house to escape, according to Today.
The scene on Forster Court on Thursday morning.Credit: Joe Armao
One of the girls reportedly also fell while escaping, landing on concrete. Both the girl and her mother were taken to The Alfred in a stable condition.
“Firefighting operations were initially hampered by poor water supply,” FRV said.
“A total of five people evacuated the property, with one jumping from a first-floor balcony.”
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