HOMICIDE detectives are investigating a fatal house fire in St Albans today (Monday) that killed one man and left two other people in hospital.
The victim is reportedly a 21-year-old university student who moved to Melbourne from Lebanon.
When Metropolitan Fire Brigade crews arrived at the single-storey house in Grantham Parade, St Albans, just before 4am, they found the house completely alight.
The “particularly aggressive” blaze took 40 minutes to control and power lines from the building had been burnt off, an MFB spokeswoman said.
Fire crews found the man dead in the house. He has not yet been formally identified. Two people, one of whom also lived in the house, were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and minor burns.
A friend of the victim, Rachel Cutajar, said that he was sleeping on the couch. She said the victim’s flatmate had told him not to sleep there.
‘‘[The flatmate said] ‘Get off the couch, go in your room so you don’t get a sore neck’ and [the victim’s] like ‘No, no I’ll stay here’,’’ she told radio station 3AW.
‘‘One hour later, the whole house was burnt down.’’
Council building surveyors are expected to examine the house’s structural integrity, the MFB spokeswoman said.
The police arson and explosives squad is now investigating alongside homicide detectives.
Police are also investigating a suspicious house fire in Melbourne’s east last week.
The fire broke out at the back of the Elgar Road house just before 8.30am on Thursday.
No one was home at the time. The fire is estimated to have caused about $50,000 damage.
A police spokeswoman said detectives were particularly keen to speak to two people who stopped at the house before emergency services arrived to check if anyone was inside.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
