An Albion house will have to be demolished after fire tore through the property last week.
Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) crews were called to the single-storey, vacant weatherboard house in Derrimut Street at 2.24am last Tuesday.
It was fully alight by the time the crews arrived.
Due to the extent of the blaze, little could be done to save the house, but firefighters worked hard to successfully protect a neighbouring property that had a two-metre separation.
It took 20 minutes to bring the fire under control. Special asbestos procedures were put in place because of the age of the property.
An MFB crew remained at the scene overnight to ensure any remaining hot spots were quickly dealt with.
A statement released by the MFB said the replacement cost of the property had been estimated at $250,000, and the house would be demolished because of the extent of the damage.
Police are investigating the fire, which has been deemed suspicious.
It is the second major fire in Brimbank in the past three weeks.
A Sunshine mother and daughter to escaped their burning Donald Street home last month after a fire started in the roof.
Charlene Macaulay