House fire in Camberwell: Boy, 11, evacuates family, calls 000
AN 11-year-old boy’s school fire training helped save his family from a blaze that gutted their Camberwell home, and his dad says he couldn’t be more proud.
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THE father of the young boy who saved his family from their burning home said he was incredibly proud of the “great job by our brave son”.
Gary Eldridge told the Herald Sun 11-year-old Joseph quickly alerted the family to evacuate and called the fire brigade.
Mr Eldridge said his son even managed to save the family’s pet rabbit from the flames.
“Joseph can feel incredibly proud of what he did,” he said.
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Mr Eldridge also thanked the “brave firefighters” who attended the blaze.
“(They) fought their best and risk their lives every day to save lives,” he said.
The quick-thinking Joseph put his fire training to use, dialling triple-0 before evacuating with his family before the roof caved in.
The blaze destroyed the single-storey home, but nobody was hurt — thanks to the youngster’s quick-thinking.
Fire officers determined an unattended candle was to blame for the fire.
MFB Station officer Bryan Morrison said the boy knew exactly what to do during the emergency thanks to a school fire education program.
“He has done a great job,” Mr Morrison said.
“He could well be nominated for an award,” he said.
The fire that tore through the Green St home became so ferocious at one point firefighters were pushed back by flames and forced to battle the blaze from the street.
“The home is completely demolished,” he said.
Firefighters arrived shortly after 8pm to find the Green St home ablaze.
The fire had already gutted the home and caused the roof to collapse, hampering the efforts of the 28 firefighters.
The fire took 45 minutes to be contained.
A Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman said the incident showed the importance of having a fire plan and working smoke alarms.
“Each year more people die and are injured in house fires than in bushfires.
“In 2015 there were 1565 preventable house fires in Melbourne.
“Unattended cooking, smoking, poorly maintained appliances or hanging
clothes too close to the heater are just some of the common and preventable causes of house fires.”
He said all Victorians should know their fire escape plan and practice it regularly.
“There are some very simple ways to help prevent a house fire including having a working smoke alarm,” he said.
Visit mfb.vic.gov.au for more fire safety advice.