Easter Monday blaze in Wangaratta home caused by electric couch

An electric couch is believed to have sparked a blaze which partially destroyed a Wangaratta home on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025.

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) firefighters were called to the address in Leishman Street at 5:45am following calls to Triple Zero (000) reporting a house fire.

Crews arrived on scene within six minutes to find a single storey brick home fully involved in fire.

Firefighters worked to extinguish the flames both internally and externally, working quickly to extinguish the fire in less than 30 minutes.

The blaze impacted the lounge room, bedroom and roof of the property.

Five occupants of the home were evacuated, with one being treated by Ambulance Victoria for smoke inhalation.

It is believed the cause of the fire was the couch, which had an inbuilt USB charging port. A device had been plugged into the port overnight.

Darren McQuade, FRV’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer of Community Resilience said the incident was a timely reminder to the community to ensure they have working smoke alarms.

“Thankfully, the occupants of this home were able to get out,” he said.

“Fires that occur overnight while you are sleeping are more likely to be fatal,”

“That’s why it’s so important to have working smoke alarms in all living areas, the hallway and inside all bedrooms to alert you to a fire,”

“It’s also a good idea to avoid charging devices overnight when you’re asleep.”