By Marta Pascual Juanola
A man is under police guard in hospital after allegedly setting his home in Melbourne’s north-west alight, injuring his wife and teenage daughter.
Neighbours told Nine News they heard what sounded like a bomb going off before flames engulfed the front room of the home on Sutherland Street, Albanvale, about 5.20pm on Monday. Six children were home at the time.
A resident who was identified only as Kylie said her husband heard a “big pop” and saw a teenage girl running down the street with burns to her legs.
“When I saw her, her shorts were burnt. Her legs were burnt. Her hands were burnt,” she said.
She then saw the man, Roland Griffiths, 38, coming out of the home, screaming and wailing. He was shirtless and appeared to have burns to his upper body.
“He was saying: ‘My daughter is burnt’,” she said.
Firefighters at the scene.Credit: Nine News
More than 25 firefighters rushed to battle the blaze, which was brought under control about 5.50pm.
The man’s wife, Kylie Griffiths, 36, and their 17-year-old daughter were injured as they tried to put out the fire that engulfed the single-storey home.
Paramedics assessed eight people at the scene and rushed the teenage girl to the Royal Children’s Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition.
Mr Griffiths and Mrs Griffiths were taken to The Alfred hospital, where they are both in a critical condition.
Roland and Kylie Griffiths are both in critical condition in hospital.Credit: Facebook
Victoria Police investigators are yet to interview the man, who is too unwell to speak.
“It’s believed a man ignited a flammable liquid and other people at the address attempted to extinguish the flames,” police said in a statement.
Arson and explosive squad detectives and forensic police spent Tuesday morning scouring the property for evidence.
Scorched family belongings could be seen through a broken window, giving a glimpse of the damage caused by the blaze. The roof appeared to have partially collapsed, exposing blackened wooden beams.
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