A man died in this Berwick housefire on Monday night.
By Jade Lawton
AN elderly man was killed when his Berwick home caught fire on Monday night.
The 85-year-old man, who neighbours described as friendly but quiet, lived alone in the single-storey Spencer Court house.
Next-door neighbours Julie and Barry were going back inside after saying goodbye to friends when they heard a loud popping noise.
They went to their backyard, where they saw the back of the man’s house well alight, and called 000 around 9pm.
Berwick CFA captain Alan Boyd said firefighters from Berwick and Beaconsfield responded at 9.08pm.
“Hose lines were run out and crews wearing breathing apparatus attempted to enter the building to search for the missing man,” he said.
“However, intense flames and heat, together with a collapsing roof, meant that firefighters had to retreat from the building and could only mount an external attack.”
It took firefighters around half an hour to bring the blaze under control. They then discovered a man’s body at the rear of the house.
The man, who has been described as very small, had lived in the house for many years and appeared to have problems with his eyesight.
“He was a lovely man, very private but a real gentleman,” Julie said.
“He was beautifully spoken and he will be missed. It’s sad to see him go like that,” she said.
The man relied on Meals on Wheels and neighbours helped him with the maintenance of his lawn.
Another neighbour, Mary-Lou, said she was unaware of what was happening until she saw about two dozen firefighters and police officers in the street.
“He lived alone and was very quiet. He was very nice, but he kept to himself,” she said.
Arson Squad detectives have been notified and an arson chemist was at the scene yesterday (Tuesday) to determine the cause of the blaze.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
