Fire alarm

By Lia Bichel
A SERIES of suspicious blazes scattered throughout the City of Greater Dandenong over the past week have police asking the public for help.
Police are appealing for witnesses in relation to three separate fires, which occurred in Dandenong and Keysborough in as many days.
Occupants were lucky to escape one of the fires, which broke out at a house in Dandenong South on Sunday morning.
Fire officer Andrew Turner said at about 7.15am, about 25 firefighters from Dandenong and Hallam brigades, and a specialist van from Frankston attended the blaze at the single-storey house on Southbourne Avenue.
“When we got there we were advised there were two occupants of the house unaccounted for,” Mr Turner said. “We deployed three breathing apparatus crews to conduct a search for the unaccounted occupants, but they couldn’t find anyone. Crews were inside the house, and the fire was intense.”
Fortunately, Mr Turner said, the two unaccounted occupants of the house were found after they appeared from a nearby house. The fire completely gutted the house and destroyed the contents. The cause of the fire is not known, but police said it was suspicious.
Mr Turner said a fire investigation was still underway.
A day earlier, on 5 November at about 8.45am, Country Fire Authority (CFA) firefighters were called to a grass fire on a vacant land on Island Road, Keysborough, about 100 metres from the corner of Chandler Road.
Another fire occurred at 1.20am on Monday, 7 December. Police said a tree was set alight on the nature strip outside a property on Heatherton Road, Dandenong.
Police said though all fires were suspicious, they did not appear to be connected.
“At this stage, they do not seem to be related and there does not seem to be a pattern,” Detective Sergeant Shane Pola said. “But we are always concerned about fires in the area and ask people to be vigilant. If anyone sees anything suspicious, please report it to police.”
Anyone with information on these or other incidents are asked to contact Dandenong Police Station on 9767 7444 or Crime Stopper on 1800 333 000.