A SWAN Hill mother and two children were lucky to escape an early morning house fire on Sunday.
The fire destroyed 75 per cent of the Cato Court house.
The occupants of the house were unharmed.
Swan Hill CFA captain Nipper Turner said the house was fully ablaze when fire-fighters arrived shortly after 2am on Sunday.
The fire was not being treated as suspicious.
A crew of five fire-fighters was able to quickly bring the fire under control before being called to a nearby home.
This second call-out proved to be a false alarm with smoke from the Cato Court blaze being sucked into the air-conditioning of a Mortoo Street home.
With more hot weather on the way Mr Turner warned residents to be vigilant over the coming days.
“There is a strong possibility of very hot weather on Monday and Tuesday with storms bringing dry lightning strikes expected on Tuesday evening,” he said.
“There are no fire permits available between now and next March and currently we have no fires in the area, so if people smell or see smoke then they need to report it.”
To report a fire call 000 or for information contact the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of Monday’s Guardian (December 7).
