A family was forced to leap from a burning home in Melbourne, with firefighters saying it was a “miracle” they were able to get out before flames gutted the residence.
The blaze broke on the ground floor of a two-storey duplex on Forster Crescent in Bentleigh East about 11.15pm while five people were inside.
Neighbours told 9News they heard an explosion and then some screaming.
Two sisters and one of their boyfriends were trapped above the garage and jumped onto nearby trees to escape.
Another person jumped from a first-floor balcony.
Paramedics arrived and treated a teenage girl, who fell off a tree and injured her hips and legs, and a woman aged in her 40s before taking them to the Alfred Hospital in a stable condition.
Dozens of firefighters were on the scene to prevent the fire from spreading.
Despite being initially hampered by poor water supply, firefighters declared the incident under control shortly after midnight.
One residence of the two-storey duplex was destroyed, but firefighters were able to minimise damage to the adjoining residence.
“It was a devastating fire for the family, they’ve lost their home,” Fire Rescue Victoria Commander Rob Joyce said.
“It’s a miracle that they all did get out.”
A watch continues this morning for spot fires.
The cause of the blaze is unknown, but police said it was being treated as non-suspicious.