Burnt out

By Melissa Grant
EIGHTEEN people made a lucky escape when fire engulfed a two-storey home in Pakenham yesterday.
Most members of the three families residing at the home, in the Cardinia Lakes estate, were sleeping when the blaze started but all made it out unharmed.
It took them some time to realise the house was on fire – a builder, working on a house at the rear of the inferno, alerted authorities about 9.20am.
Marri Pirangi, 15, said his younger brother alerted those in the house to the fire after feeling “heat to his head” while in bed.
Mother Tai Tamaau recalled yelling for everyone to flee as the house burst into flames.
“The ones sleeping upstairs, we had to scream for them to get out,” she said.
The families could only salvage a mattress, clothes and other small items which were stored in the house’s double garage.
Marri said his family’s dog Angel, a pitbull Staffy cross, was missing but hoped she had run away during the chaos.
Five CFA units – three from Pakenham, one from Nar Nar Goon and another from Frankston – attended the inferno which took half an hour to get under control.
Incident controller and Pakenham CFA fourth lieutenant Daniel Ingram said the fire appeared to have started somewhere in the middle of the house.
Mr Ingram said the cause of the blaze was unclear at this stage and investigations were continuing.
The three families, with members aged from five months to 60 years, had been living in the house since December.
Ms Tamaau said she was unsure where the families would go.
“We really don’t know where we’re going to sleep tonight,” she said.