By Cassandra Morgan
A mother was forced to jump from a balcony to make a “miracle” escape with her family as a ferocious blaze destroyed their 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 and trapped 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 stuck inside when neighbours heard them screaming for help, Nine’s Today reported.
A neighbour brought out ladders to help the teenagers down from the top of a garage. Some of the occupants reportedly jumped into tall trees close to the house to escape.
The scene on Forster Court on Thursday morning.Credit: Joe Armao
“They all jumped because we couldn’t get the ladder to them,” a neighbour told 3AW. “One of the girls, I think, broke her foot.
“They jumped on the tree and fell straight down.”
The injured girl and her mother were taken to The Alfred in a stable condition.
Firefighters had challenges with water supply while tackling the blaze, but crews were able to manage them. A total of five people evacuated the townhouse, FRV confirmed.
“It was a devastating fire for the family. They’ve lost their home,” FRV commander Rob Joyce told 3AW.
“It’s a miracle that they all did get out. The intensity of the fire was high.”
It took roughly 30 firefighters about an hour to control the blaze, which destroyed the townhouse.
Photos taken on Thursday morning show the townhouse gutted, with smashed windows on both the ground and first floors and warped metal roofing.
Crews managed to minimise damage to an adjoining property.
FRV was investigating the cause of the blaze on Thursday.
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