Man found dead after blaze rips through Briar Hill home
An elderly man, believed to be a hoarder, has died after a fire ripped through his home.
Firefighters were called to the house on Mountain View Road, Briar Hill, in Melbourne's north-east, about 10pm to find the single-storey weatherboard home fully ablaze.
Emergency services were told by the person who called triple zero that an elderly man lived in the home and fire crews tried to enter the building.
However, due to the ferocity of the fire, they struggled to gain entry to conduct a search.
"The rear of the premises collapsed, hindering firefighting efforts," an MFB spokesman said.
It was declared under control at 10.46pm, however firefighters were still unable to enter the building on Thursday morning. Concerns included poor structural integrity and asbestos.
It is believed the amount of refuse and rubbish at the home intensified the blaze, making it difficult for firefighters to enter.
Fires in hoarding homes increase the risk for the occupants, their neighbours and firefighters, according to the MFB. It creates a high fuel load, provides more ignition for fires and can also block exits and entrances.
The MFB responds to incidents involving hoarding or squalor on average every four to six days.
A police spokesman said the body of the man, who is yet to be formally identified, was located at the scene.
"Investigators are yet to establish the exact cause of the fire and an arson chemist will attend the scene later this morning," he said.
The fire was deemed suspicious early on Thursday morning, but an MFB spokesman later said investigators had found that it wasn't.
Mountain View Road was closed overnight between Sherbourne Road and Fernside Avenue.
It was the second fire in Melbourne overnight. A Bentleigh home was also damaged after a fire in the front room of a house on Tucker Road.
The fire was quickly contained, however the family's pet cat was overcome by smoke and died.
The blaze was started by a candle in the front room of the house.