Four-year-old boy dead after town house fire in Dandenong

A four-year-old boy has died in a fire which tore through a town house in Dandenong this morning.

Emergency crews were called about 7.50am to Ann Street, and found the building well-alight on arrival.

The child and another one-year-old boy were in the upstairs bedroom when the fire started, Detective Senior Constable Benjamin Gordon told The Age.

The uncle of the boys sustained minor injuries as he rescued the younger child from the flames.

He was unable to save the older child, who died at the scene.

"It's quite courageous, I would say, to force your way into a bedroom that's fully engulfed and be able to rescue that child. It's just unfortunate they weren't able to rescue the other child," Mr Gordon said.

Five others, including the children’s grandmother, were treated for non-life threatening injuries, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) said.
Police said the upper level of the house was "extensively damaged”.

Ann Street is now re-opened after being blocked off to all traffic.

Investigations into the cause of the blaze continues.