Victoria Police investigating death of man, 40, after fire ripped through Apollo Bay property

Residents have described the devastation of a fatal house fire in a coastal town that killed a man on Saturday, with a police investigation underway.

A house on Diana Street believed to have been involved in a fatal house fire in Apollo Bay. Photo: Google Maps.

Residents have described the devastation of a fatal house fire in a coastal town that killed a man on Saturday, with a police investigation underway.

The tight-knit Apollo Bay community, 45km south west of Lorne, has been left shocked by the tragedy after a 40-year-old man was pulled from a burning property on Diana St.

It’s believed at least one room of the house was engulfed by flames, with paramedics unable to save the man despite CPR attempts.

Two other men, including the father of the deceased, were able to flee the inferno and were treated by Ambulance Victoria crews at the scene.

Six CFA fire trucks attended the fire in Apollo Bay on Saturday, with a crime scene initiatlly established.

One Apollo Bay resident, who did not want to be named, said the death had sent ripples of concern through the township.

“It’s a great shock to wake up and hear someone has died,” he said.

“This is a small community, everyone has been talking about it and wondering what has happened.

“It’s very sad.”

Flames could be seen licking out of first floor window of the two-storey home just after midnight on August 12.

The home sits near the top of a small hill on the street behind a uniting church.

A CFA spokeswoman told the Geelong Advertiser the fire required six vehicles and crews, with firefighters battling the blaze for over an hour.

“The fire was brought under control at 12.38am and declared safe at 1.09am,” she said.

Firefighters took over an hour to get the blaze under control, with two men escaping uninjured. Picture: Karen Dodd

Bob Knowles, from the Apollo Bay Chamber of Commerce, said although he didn’t know the

deceased his death had startled the community.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman told the Geelong Advertiser the fire is not being treated as suspicious

A crime scene was established at the time of the blaze and an investigation into its cause is ongoing.

Anyone who has information or witnessed the incident can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

It comes after at least three deaths from house fires in the Geelong region over the past 12 months.

A mum died after her Newtown home, on Upper Skene Street, went up in flames in the early hours of July 2.

An elderly woman was also killed after her Bellnore Drive unit was engulfed in flames in February.

In December, a former Vietnam veteran and an 11-year-old boy were killed in a horrific blaze in Lara.

The brother of the deceased boy managed to escape.

Originally published as Victoria Police investigating death of man, 40, after fire ripped through Apollo Bay property