A MAN has died as a result of a house fire in Willaura that started on Monday evening.
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Victoria Police Arson and Explosive Squad officers spend Tuesday morning at the scene of the fire on Commercial Street.
Police confirmed on Monday night that one deceased person had been found in the house.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 5.23pm on Monday with four Country Fire Authority trucks attended the incident and brought the fire under control.
The fire caused extensive damage to the inside and outside of the house and the incident was listed as safe at 7.23pm.
A search of the premises resulted in firefighters locating a body among the debris.
Ararat Crime Investigation Unit detectives attended the scene on Monday night.
Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire and are also trying to confirm the identity of the deceased person.
Neighbours described the home’s owner as a man aged in his mid to late forties.
Willaura resident Garry Gardner lived directly across the street from the house where the man died.
Mr Gardner, who has lived in Willaura for seven years, said he had only met the occupant a couple of times in the few months since he moved in.
“I saw him a couple of times and that was about all,” Mr Gardner said.
“He came and went in a taxi a few times and that was it. I never really knew him, never really spoke to him.”
Mr Gardner was alerted to the fire at about 6pm on Monday by his dog, a German Shepherd.
He crossed the street to find the burning house’s next door neighbour already attempting to fight the blaze with his own hoses.
“Then the fireies got here and I gave them a hand to run hoses,” Mr Gardner said.
“We tired kicking in the front door, myself and another bloke that lives in the street, but then we were told to get away.
“When the front door opened the heat and smoke just hit us.”
Mr Gardner said nobody knew if anyone was home at the time, but the next door neighbour believed he heard somebody yelling from inside the house.
“We didn’t know if he was home or not. It was pretty devastating when we found out someone had died.,” he said.
“There wasn’t one person who stood backwards. Everyone was trying to help out.
“We tried to block the street, we tried to get hoses in, it was pretty bloody scary, actually.”
Mr Gardner said the intensity of the flames had him concerned that the fire might spread to other houses in the street and endanger the elderly residents.
The 2-bedroom weatherboard house was listed as sold in January on real estate websites.
One website described the property as a “warm inviting country cottage” that boasted a “workshop with wood heater”.
“This cosy cottage set in the quite village of Willaura boasts two bedrooms, original floorboards, welcoming lounge with gas heating, and family room with fireplace and ceiling fan,” the website stated.
Willura Country Fire Authorities had just completed a training exercise on house fires last week.
That training was put to use as volunteers worked to separate two large gas cylinders from the burning structure on Monday night.
Willaura has already had a few minor house fire incidents in the past few months due to accidents with heaters accidents or chimney fires.
An arson chemist was due to attend the scene in an attempt to ascertain how the fire started.
Anyone with information about the fire is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.