Mother missing after Upwey house fire found alive and well

THE mother who vanished after a ferocious house fire in Upwey has been found alive and well. Neighbours heard the woman’s teenage daughter screaming “where’s mum?” in the aftermath of the blaze that destroyed the home.

THE mother who vanished after a ferocious house fire in Upwey has been found alive and well.

Neighbours heard the woman’s 16-year-old daughter screaming “where’s mum?” in the aftermath of the blaze that destroyed the home in Melbourne’s outer east.

Detective Sergeant Kurt Woods from the arson squad said the 43-year-old woman and mother of two had been spotted at a shopping centre in the Dandenong Ranges around 1pm.

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He confirmed the fire was not being treated as suspicious and that the woman was home at the time but managed to escape the blaze.

“We’re not sure how she’s got out or where she’s gone,” he said.

“We don’t know how and why.

“She got her daughter out as well.”

She presented at a shop in Upwey and said ‘I think I’ve been in a fire’, then police were notified.

Police will interview her this afternoon and she will undergo a welfare assessment, but is not expected to face any charges.

A teenager has escaped but a woman remains missing after a house fire in Upwey overnight. Picture: Sunrise

Fire investigators at the scene of the blaze. Picture: David Crosling

Flames leapt 20 metres in the air and several gas bottles exploded during the fire. Picture: David Crosling

The woman and her teenage daughter were uninjured, the 14-year-old son was not home at the time. Both children are in the care of their father.

Forensic investigators arrived at the Glenfern Ave address this morning to scour through the burnt remains to piece together what happened.

Neighbour Sue McNabb said the teenage girl was calling for her mother after the fire.

“She was extremely distressed,” Ms McNabb said.

“Paramedics were here looking after her. She yelled out apparently ‘mum, where’s mum?’”

Ms McNabb said the house had “a reputation” and police cars were often seen visiting.

Ms McNabb said before the blaze she could hear what sounded like LPG gas bottles exploding and glass shattering.

Afterwards a police helicopter flew over the area.

Neighbour Colin Capon said the fire took hold at the front of the house and roared through the property as flames shot up to 20 feet above the roof.

He said the whole street was woken by the explosion.

A teenager has escaped and a woman is missing after a house fire in Upwey overnight.

The aftermath of the house fire. Picture: David Crosling

“I heard a couple of small bangs and then there was this massive explosion,” Mr Capon said.

“It brought everyone into the street. I sort of raced out there and it was literally engulfed in flames, there were people running round screaming and carrying on.”

He said his son and son’s girlfriend were home at the time and the three of them were considering packing up and fleeing.

“At that stage I ran in and said ‘grab your gear, get ready to go’. It just had to catch one of these great big gum trees and it would come straight down on us. Fortunately the fireys managed to get it under control.”

He said the scene at the front of the house was chaotic, adding he didn’t know the neighbours and was unsure who was inside at the time.

“There were a lot of people out the front. There was smoke and flames everywhere, people yelling, I was just thinking ‘sh-t’. There was a man running round screaming ‘Hey!’ I think he was just panicking.”

Brodie Leathem heard bangs when the fire broke out last night. Picture: David Crosling

Another neighbour, Brodie Leathem, heard a couple of bangs and saw a “massive glow’” next door.

“I just came out the front and it was engulfed in flames,” he said.

“It was pretty hectic, we went and got the hose straight away.”

The flames destroyed ferns along his fence line and came close to spreading into his backyard.

Mr Leathem was inside with his baby and wife at the time and was woken by the noise of the bangs.

He said a woman aged in her 40s and her two children, a teenage boy and girl, lived at the property.

The fire was brought under control within 20 minutes.

Investigators picking through the rubble. Picture: David Crosling

Police at the scene of the Upwey fire. Picture: David Crosling