A MAROONA house has been destroyed by fire but luckily its occupants were away from the property at the time.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Country Fire Authority District 16 units were called to a timber weatherboard home on the Mortlake-Ararat Road south of Helendoite Road intersection on Tuesday morning.
District 16 operations officer Neville Collins said firefighters arrived at the property at about 11:25am to find the house fully engulfed in flames.
It took fire crews under an hour to extinguish the fire.
“The house was totally destroyed,” Mr Collins said.
“It was a family residence, I believe about four or five people lived there, but they were all away at work or school when the fire started.
“We had six trucks at the scene and protective equipment from Ballarat City.”
Police and CFA investigators believed an electrical tank-style water heater was responsible for starting the fire.
“The police, both from the Criminal Investigation Unit and uniform, also attended the scene along with CFA fire investigators to determine the cause of the fire,” Mr Collins said.
“At this stage it is believed a water heater unit adjacent to the east wall of the house was responsible for starting the fire.
“The incident serves as a reminder to check your appliances and perform maintenance and upkeep.”