By Najma Sambul
A near-complete Porter Davis home has been destroyed by a fire in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.
Police are treating the cause of the fire as suspicious after it broke out in Clyde on Monday afternoon.
The devastated Porter Davis homeowners, who did not want to be identified, arrived at the scene as their home was well alight. It was due to be completed next month.
“I just came back from picking up my little one from school,” said the mum of three. “I was shivering.”
The homeowners said they were also fearful after the incident. “I’m personally feeling scared that I went to the site with my car,” she said.
Seven firefighter trucks from Clyde and Pakenham responded to the house fire at about 4.23pm on Monday and were able to control the blaze within 30 minutes.
The family paid their lock-up fee the day before Porter Davis went into liquidation.Credit:Joe Armao
Footage from the scene reveals a section of the roof collapsing close to a firefighter as crews work to extinguish the blaze. Other sections of the roof are visibly caved-in, while the exterior of the home is heavily scorched.
“When we arrived, the firefighters were there ... we could only see smoke and that the roof was collapsed,” the homeowner said. “I didn’t even want to look.”
The family, who own another home, must now pay off two mortgages, saying the financial burden is crippling.
“Every moment, we are crying,” the homeowner said. “We are absolutely frozen, we don’t know what to do.”
Firefighters battled the blaze for 30 minutes.
The couple with three small children purchased a land-and-home package from Porter Davis in September, paying their lock-up fee of $95,000 the day before the company went into liquidation.
“I don’t know how liquidators can help with this,” she said. “All of our money is in the house, we don’t know what to do.”
A neighbour who owns a Porter Davis home next door said he couldn’t sleep after witnessing the fire and is looking to get security cameras to protect his property.
“All the three houses in a row are with Porter Davis,” he said. “I was so worried that it could be my house on fire, or it could catch to the next house.”
A house built by Porter Davis has been gutted by a fire in Clyde.Credit:Joe Armao
“I have to find some security cameras so at least it gives some kind of peace,” he said.
The neighbour said he heard about property damage from other Porter Davis customers.
“Already it is happening all over the place,” he said. “We never expected a fire scenario,” he said.
On Tuesday morning, the fire-affected family was among the Porter Davis customers locked out of a scheduled webinar, after the virtual meeting room was overwhelmed by demand and reached capacity.
Customers were fuming as they unsuccessfully attempted to access the meeting, with one user labelling it a “sh*tshow” online.
Grant Thorton, the liquidator for Porter Davis, earlier said it was in talks with a number of “reputable” builders to complete the build of unfinished homes for customers.
“We are in discussions with a number of builders – reputable builders in the market – and we have been since Friday, including over the weekend,” said Matt Byrnes, a partner at Grant Thornton, told ABC RN Breakfast on Tuesday.
“I think it’s fair to say that finding a holistic solution for somebody to step in and complete all of the builds is highly unlikely,” he said.
Porter Davis customers are in limbo after the builder went into liquidation last week.Credit:Joe Armao
However, Byrnes said the liquidator is also working with 300 homeowners with properties close to completion, in the hopes of helping them move into their homes.
“We’re working with them to see if we can help them get their certificates and the keys and to move in, even if there are a few small things to do once they move in,” he said.
“A number of them [creditors] will be owed money and a lot of those subcontractors, businesses in their own right, so it’s a big issue for them as well.”
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.