1 dead, 4 injured in house fire northwest of Melbourne

13/2/2025 15:52

One person has died and four more have been injured in a house fire northwest of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria.



Victoria Police said that emergency services were called to reports of a fire at a residential property in the small town of Maryborough, about 140 km northwest of Melbourne, shortly before midday local time on Thursday.



A male occupant of the house in his 30s died at the scene, police said, while a two-year-old child was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition.



Three more people, two women in their 30s and 60s and a three-year-old child, were treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries.



Victoria Police Senior Sergeant David Flood told reporters on Thursday afternoon that firefighters rescued the two-year-old from the building.



"This is a tragedy that's unexpected. It's probably extremely unexpected at this time of year," he said.



Ben Miller from Ambulance Victoria said the two-year-old was placed in a medically-induced coma before being taken to hospital.



"The injuries were certainly life-threatening," Miller said.



Police said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire.