Five people and a dog forced to jump from balcony to escape home fire in Forster Court in Bentleigh East
A man who was trapped inside a burning East Bentleigh home has told of the terrifying moment he was forced to jump for his life from a second-story balcony with four others and a dog.
Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man who was trapped inside a burning East Bentleigh home has told of the terrifying moment he was forced to jump off for his life from a second-story balcony with four others and a dog.
Fire Rescue Victoria arrived at a two-storey East Bentleigh home just after 11pm on Wednesday to find flames rapidly spreading from the ground floor up.
“Everyone was asleep, and then the fire alarm went off and there was smoke everywhere,” Ryan, the boyfriend of one of the residents, told media on Thursday morning.
“There was so much fire downstairs so you couldn’t get down …. there were four of us on the balcony and the dog.
“We climbed onto the roof and then jumped.
“The number one goal (was) to keep the dog alive … and we did.”
He said another resident – a teenage girl – fell off the balcony and sustained two ankle injuries, requiring surgery.
“It was either too dark or she passed out,” he said.
It took 30 firefighters about an hour to bring the blaze under control after initially being hampered by poor water supply.
A neighbour, Karina Shiferson, said a woman emerged from the house covered in smoke “black from top to bottom”.
It is believed she was also taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Ms Shiferson, who lives two doors down, woke when her daughter heard screams for help from her bedroom window.
They called the ambulance and police despite being “distressed and not knowing what to do”.
While the house was gutted, crews were able to save the adjoining home in the duplex building.
It is believed the house was being sublet, with the new owners having only settled three weeks ago.
A toxic smoke warning was also issued to nearby residents.
Investigations into the cause of the fire remain ongoing.
More to come.
More Coverage
Originally published as Five people and a dog forced to jump from balcony to escape home fire in Forster Court in Bentleigh East
‘Dirty deal’: Union boss lashes out over Greens-Labor fire levy pact
Union boss Peter Marshall has slammed the Greens and Labor for their secret deal to push through the $2bn fire services tax before next week’s state budget, calling it a “gross perversion.”
Bolt: Give Ley the chance to fix what’s broken
Sussan Ley is being treated like a here-today, gone-tomorrow lightweight, but let’s see then how she handles things. She may not succeed, but to bury her already is unfair.