By JESSE GRAHAM
A FIRE that destroyed an abandoned Badger Creek house on Wednesday night is being treated as suspicious by authorities, after it was found completely alight by firefighters.
CFA crews were called out to the Badger Avenue address, just after 10pm on Wednesday 11 May, after reports of a fire at an abandoned property.
Badger Creek CFA Captain Josh Martin said the house was “fully involved” when fire trucks pulled up and that firefighters had to carve a tunnel through thick blackberry bushes to get near the house.
“We had to make a tunnel on the north-east corner with a chainsaw,” Capt Martin said.
He said the house was destroyed by the fire and that a building surveyor was inspecting the house on Thursday 12 May for safety.
“The floor’s completely dissipated – you just can’t get in there,” Capt Martin said.
“It’s been deemed suspicious.”
When the Mail visited the site on Thursday 12 May, CFA fire investigator Brian Neal was on the scene, and said the house was an unoccupied deceased estate.
He said the house was full of the former owner’s belongings when the fire began.
Mr Neal said the fire is being treated as suspicious, but that the building was being inspected for safety as some walls were still standing after the fire.
“We can’t access the building and, being unoccupied and how it is … there will be further investigations by the police,” he said.
Anyone with information about the fire can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or file a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
