CRESWICK FIRE
A fire that ripped through a Creswick house this afternoon is being treated as suspicious.
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Crime scene tape has gone up around what is left of the Williams Street weatherboard home after fire broke out just after 4pm.
A fire investigator is expected to arrive tomorrow morning.
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Neighbours say the house has been unoccupied for about 15 years but squatters are heard regularly.
One car and a bus have been completely destroyed, while another two cars have been affected by the fire that tore through the house and nearby grass.
A shocked neighbour told The Courier he just got out of the shower before smelling smoke and immediately called triple-0.
He said he saw the house and bus fully engulfed in flames.
"To be honest, I have been standing here shocked. I still haven't even thought about how this could have spread to my house," he said at the scene.
"I've been more worried about my silver Mercedes in the backyard that has burn marks on it."
Another neighbour, who has lived there for 32 years, said he could hear the 'crackle' of the fire before he could see it.
"I wasn't nervous. The firies were already here when I came out. I have got very good faith in the local boys," he said.
Creswick Woollen Mills staff member Cameron Torresi said he was one of the first at the scene.
He said he immediately worked to direct backyard hoses on to the house nextdoor until firefighters arrived about five minutes later.
HEAR FROM CAMERON TORRESI AT THE SCENE OF THE FIRE
"It was great to see everyone work together to save all the houses on the street," he said.
Mr Torresi also lives at the house three doors down. He said he returned to Creswick Woollen Mills to move the animals to safety and returned home to check on the animals at his property.
Powercor arrived on-scene at 5.05pm to turn off the power.
Police were at the scene and taking statements from witnesses.
Investigations into the cause of the fire continue.
GILLIES STREET NORTH FIRE
CFA crews have acted quickly to put out a house fire in Wendouree this afternoon.
The front unit on a block in Gillies Street North caught on fire through what is believed to be an electrical fault about 2.30pm.
The occupants of the rental unit were not home at the time.
Wendouree CFA spokesman Ashley Trounson said solar panels and a flat roof meant it took about 30 minutes to extinguish.
"On arrival there was quite a bit of smoke coming from the building, we spoke to people on scene and they assured us there was nobody inside the front unit where the fire was in," he said..
"There was a unit connected to the back where there was one male occupant which we managed to get out quickly. The man was ok, the units are well separated, so he didn't really even notice there had been a fire next door.
"The extent of the damage to the ceiling means they won't be able to live in the building, but there's very little damage to the rest of the building."
Tenant Sam McColl said he raced home from work as soon as he heard.
He said the property was owned by his parents who lived in Ararat and he shared the unit with a housemate.
"Apparently it might have been due to some electrical wiring, but we're not 100 per cent sure just yet," Mr McColl said.
"There's fire damage in the roof and smoke damage to half the house.
"I left work straight away, I'm a former firey with Wendouree and so I've been out to a number of these calls, but I can tell you it feels very different to when you're on this end of the fire compared to the other end."
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