A deadly fire that tore through a Melbourne home, claiming the lives of a mother and her three young daughters, has rocked the community as police investigate.
Kaoru Kikuchi and her three girls, aged three, five and seven, died huddled in a bathroom of their Glen Waverley house as it was engulfed by fire overnight.
Emergency services were called to the property on 8 Tulloch Grove just after 1.40am.
They found the garage of the property well alight, with smoke rising up and engulfing the two-storey townhouse above.
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By the time fire crews arrived, the residence was heavily smoke-logged and the woman and her children were unable to be saved.
Neighbours have described the sound of explosions and screams in the early hours of the morning.
"I just heard this massive … I thought it was a car accident … it was a massive – BANG!" Maria Tsakiris said.
Debra Ortolan, who also lives near the property, said the blaze caused chaos on the street.
"As soon as we realised that it wasn't us and we checked each other, we ran downstairs in a panic and came outside and the fire brigade started arriving," she said.
A 50-year-old man related to the dead family was able to escape the flames.
One witness said he had been calling for help as the fire lit up the house.
He was taken to hospital by ambulance with serious burns, where he remains intubated in a serious condition under police guard.
Detective Senior Sergeant Neville Major described the scene as "very tragic".
"It appears they (the woman and children) have all been huddled together in the ensuite," he said.
The family is believed to be of Japanese heritage but are yet to be formally identified.
The young daughters of Ms Kikuchi are remembered as being fun-loving and energetic by neighbours.
"The girls were beautiful … their hair was always done, I remember big smiles on their faces every day," Alida Sotlda said.
"We're really upset, it's just horrific … it wasn't even like a fire – it was like a war zone out here," Ms Tsakiris said.
Senior Sergeant Major said he expected teams of investigators to remain at the property all day today as they work to determine what caused the fire, which is understood to have started in the garage crammed with clutter, some of it combustible.
"Arson squad and detectives in there at the moment going through the material," he said.
"I haven't been able to enter the crime scene – it's still being examined by the arson chemists," Senior Sergeant Major said.
"There are smoke alarms in the house but as to whether or not they are working, that will be determined by the Arson Squad."
It's not expected that the man who survived the flames will be able to assist investigators for another 24 to 48 hours.
Police are not ruling out that the fire was deliberately lit.
"We do treat all fires as suspicious until we can otherwise prove and determine that they're not," Senior Sergeant Major said.
At the height of the blaze, 35 fire fighters were battling the flames.
Surrounding homes were evacuated and a smoke warning was issued for the area.
It took fire fighters several hours to bring the blaze under control and police have been at the scene all day.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
