By Steph McNicol
THREE people, including a child and two men, have died after a house fire in Tyaak, near Broadford.
Emergency services were called to a Cunninghams Road property close to 11.40pm on Saturday, where 13 people were staying at a holiday house, when the fire broke out.
Three ambulance helicopters and several road ambulances attended the scene, transporting almost all occupants of the house to hospital.
A six-year-old boy and a 33-year-old man died at the scene and a 34-year-old-man later died in hospital on Sunday.
An Alfred Hospital spokesperson told the Review yesterday afternoon that three adults remained in hospital in a stable condition, including two women aged 32 and 36.
Five children, aged between one and five, were transported to The Royal Children’s Hospital and remain in a serious condition.
Other occupants of the house included two men aged 33 and 64, and a woman aged 61.
Police have established a crime scene but are not treating the fire as suspicious.
Country Fire Authority brigades including Broadford, Kilmore, Strath Reedy, Seymour, Trawool, Wandong, Clonbinane, Wallan and Hilldene attended the scene.
CFA commander Charles Cleary told media the blaze took an hour-and-a-half to control, with neighbours describing the scene as ‘a wall of fire’.
Sergeant Daniel Raynor, of Seymour police, said the two families had been staying at the Tyaak property for the long weekend.
“It is a very traumatic event for all involved,” he said.
“Obviously given the extremely tragic circumstances and the situation that we now have those conversations and investigations, I dare say will be ongoing for some time.”
The Victoria Police Arson and Explosives Squad were at the scene on Sunday and will further investigate the exact cause and prepare a report for the Coroner.
Beautiful families