By Callum Ludwig
Four Upper Yarra fire brigades had an early rise this morning as they attended a shed fire in Launching Place.
The Hoddles Creek, Hillcrest, Yarra Junction and Yellingbo brigades were called out to the scene at 3am and found the shed fully involved.
Second Lieutenant at Hoddles Creek CFA Brett Kerford said the incident was on Milners Road.
“Fortunately, the fire wasn’t spreading to anything nearby at the stage we arrived and the guys and girls were able to knock it down reasonably quickly,” he said.
“The shed and all the contents inside were a write-off, but nothing outside was damaged. The property inside was the typical tools and other workshop items and luckily, the owners were insured.”
No one was inside the shed and crews worked quickly to contain the fire and put it under control within the hour then remained on the scene until just before 6am.
Mr Kerford said the fire is believed to have originated from an electrical fault involving an air compressor.
“Because of the time, the fire had probably been burning for about 20 minutes before it was noticed. The neighbour tried to attack it with a garden hose but wasn’t able to do much good. The owners were really good, and walked around providing water to keep us all hydrated,” he said.
“This occasion was a bit of bad luck, but it is important to be wary of things like drying clothes too close to fires and heaters or overloading powerboards.”
Thankfully the owners had insurance, as the shed was unable to be saved. All damage was minimised to the shed, with the nearby boat and cars protected.
Mr Kerford also praised Hillcrest CFA’s Rochelle Pulton for her work in control of the incident, under the guidance of some others.
