Firefighters battle house fire in West Footscray

Fire Recue Victoria (FRV) responded to a house fire in West Footscray shortly before 3am this morning. 

Firefighters arrived on scene to find a single storey weatherboard house well alight.  

Crews quickly got to work with hose lines to protect homes on either side of the residence that were under threat from the flames.  

Due to the intensity of the blaze, firefighters initially attacked the fire externally before entering the burning home to conduct a search of the premises. 

Due to a partial roof collapse, it took some time to confirm no persons were inside the house at the time of the fire. 

The house has received extensive damage to most of the structure. 

Safety procedures were put in place due to the presence of asbestos in the building. 

The fire was declared under control at 03:16am, 30 minutes after arriving on scene. 

Fire crews remained on scene into daylight hours fully extinguishing the fire. 

The house has been destroyed by the fire. 

A community advice was issued for smoke in the area. 

The fire has been deemed as suspicious and will be investigated by Victoria Police.