Elderly couple escapes Melbourne fire

An elderly couple has suffered smoke inhalation as they escaped their burning Melbourne home.

The fire caused more than $50,000 damage to the rear of the Albert Park house, an MFB spokesman said.

"Two elderly occupants were home at the time of the fire. There were no working smoke alarms and they were fortunate to be alerted by the noises from the fire," he said.

The couple fled as the first fire crews arrived and were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

The crew of 17 firefighters took 15 minutes to control the blaze.