Family escapes suspicious Melbourne house fire

A family of four have escaped a suspicious house fire in Melbourne's west.

The "distressed" family escaped uninjured early today, as the Sunshine blaze threatened neighbouring properties, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) said.

Firefighters received a number of calls about the fire, and arrived at the single-storey weatherboard home in less than five minutes, the MFB added. 

"A number of surrounding properties were under threat from the intense heat and fire, they were protected by fire-fighters with hose lines, others aggressively attacked the fire both internally and externally," the MFB said in a statement. 

''The fire was declared under control in 20 minutes... the house has been extensively damaged by the fire."

The fire has been deemed suspicious and police are investigating.