Quick-acting firefighters forced their way into a blazing ground-floor apartment on Stud Road, Dandenong early on Saturday 1 February.
Called out at 6.18am, the FRV officers contained the fire from spreading to the rest of the six-unit building near the corner of Clow Street.
“Firefighters arrived on scene within six minutes and donned breathing apparatus to make forced entry to a unit,” an FRV spokesperson said.
“Crews also ventilated five other units in the building.”
The fire was under control at 6.33am.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said the fire appeared to be started by a cigarette that hadn’t been stubbed out properly.
“At this stage, the fire is being treated as accidental.”
A neighbour said it appeared that the unit was boarded up and formally vacant at the time.
“My husband came in from night-shift and said there’s a fire. I thought is he dreaming? Then I saw the flames.
“The firefighters were good. They put it out in minutes.
“There’s just so much drama around here. There’s lots of druggies coming out fighting or running out on the road.”
There was further “drama” later that day, with a man in his 60s and woman in her 40s injured in a car-crash near the same location about 6.30pm.
They were transported to Dandenong Hospital, both in stable conditions.
Last June, a 29-year-old female pedestrian was killed in an alleged hit-run in the same section of Stud Road.
Opposite the site, residents have told Star Journal of being attacked on the street and in their home over the past year, as well as constant fighting, blood-curdling screams, loud music and drug-dealing by large groups.
