A SMOKE alarm in a rear bedroom contributed to an elderly homeowner escaping a fire that destroyed the rear quarter of a house in Mornington’s Dava Estate mid-afternoon on Monday 28 August.
Firefighters said initial investigations showed the fire started due to an electrical wiring fault. No heaters were on at the time.
Trucks from Mornington fire brigade attended, followed by police and paramedics, who checked the distraught homeowner as well as fire fighters in breathing apparatus.
The house was extensively damaged and will have to be demolished.
A CFA spokesman urged all householders to check smoke alarms at least twice a year.
