Fire sale: Open house disaster after owner's attempt to 'create ambience'

A Melbourne homeowner has given new meaning to the term “fire sale” after his last minute decision to “create ambience” at his open house inspection ended in disaster.

What should have been a routine inspection filled with prospective buyers and curious neighbours quickly became an emergency scene filled with firefighters after the owner turned to his fireplace to set the mood on Saturday afternoon.

“(The owner) thought he would set a bit of ambience but I think he got a bit more than he bargained for in the end,” Greg Hocking, from Greg Hocking Real Estate, told Yahoo7 News

As one interested party made their way through the four-bedroom house in Fraser Street, Middle Park, they noticed smoke filtering through the roof tiles.

The recently renovated home had a price guide range of $2.3 to $2.41 million.

Everyone inside the house was quickly evacuated to the street as fire crews from Windsor and South Melbourne stations raced to the scene.

By the time they arrived the home was fully alight. Crews with breathing apparatus attacked the blaze from inside the property, with Mr Hocking saying their heroic efforts saved the house from being completely destroyed.

The top floor of the home was completely engulfed in flames, resulting in extensive damage to a bedroom, the roof and ceiling.

“I told the vendor it couldn’t have happened at a better time … there was no-one asleep in the house and everyone had ample time to get out fairly quickly,” Mr Hocking said.

The homeowner is hoping repairs on the house will be completed within the next couple of months before it returns to the market.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade said the incident is a timely reminder for homeowners to make sure their chimneys and fireplaces are free of any obstructions.