In August, the Yarra Ranges was shaken by one of the most devastating fires of the year, when a Hoddles Creek woman in her 70s was seriously injured after her home was destroyed by fire.
The blaze broke out at a property on Grover Road on the night of Saturday, 2 August, with emergency services called just after 9.30pm. Hoddles Creek CFA crews arrived to find the single-storey weatherboard house fully engulfed, the glow of the flames visible from the road.
Hoddles Creek CFA first lieutenant Brett Kerford said the fire was already well established when firefighters reached the scene.
“As we came around the bend, we could see the red glow coming from the house,” he said.
“By the time we arrived, it was completely involved and there wasn’t much chance of saving anything.”
The woman managed to escape the burning home before firefighters arrived, but suffered serious burns and smoke inhalation while trying to contain the fire herself. She made her way to a neighbour’s property, where Triple Zero (000) was called.
Ambulance Victoria dispatched multiple crews, including a Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance and an air ambulance, and the woman was airlifted in a serious condition to Angliss Hospital.
Nine CFA units responded, supported by neighbouring brigades, Emerald SES and Victoria Police. The fire was brought under control just after 10.15pm and declared safe later that night.
While the cause remains under investigation, early indications suggest the blaze was accidental and may have started in a wood heater.
Tragically, two pet puppies were also lost in the fire, making an already heartbreaking incident even harder for the local community.
