Garage embers alert neighbours to blaze
Perth firefighters battled two major house fires south of Perth last night.
A home in the Mandurah suburb of Greenfields was extensively damaged after a fire ripped through the property just after 6:30pm.
Firefighters arrived at the Arkansas Way property just before 7pm where they battled the blaze for close to 40 minutes.
Neighbours Alexis and David told The West Australian that earlier in the evening they had heard "loud crackling" noises coming from next door.
When they went out to investigate, they discovered embers coming from the garage and noticed that the flames had leapt from the burning house onto a vine on their property.
They managed to extinguish the flames with a garden hose before it spread further.
Western Power and Alinta Gas were also called to the scene after reports of dangling powerlines and a gas leak.
The cause of the fire is not yet known but fire investigators were last night at the scene combing through the wreckage.
The extent of the damage is unknown but at least half the property was destroyed.
No one was home at the time, with the resident believed to be a fly-in, fly-out worker.
Meanwhile in Perth's southern suburbs, firefighters battled a house fire in Huntingdale.
Maddington fire crews were called out to the Baxter Close property just before 6pm and took close to 40 minutes to put out the flames.
The fire was sparked in one of the bedrooms by a four-year-old toddler who had been playing with a lighter.
The damage is estimated at $100,000.
