Lithium-ion batteries spark house fire in Melbourne's north-east

A family of four has had a lucky escape after lithium-ion batteries sparked a horror blaze at their home in Melbourne's north-east.

Four family members, including a five-year-old and an eight-year-old, were sleeping when their home on Henry Street in Eltham went up in flames about 11.10pm yesterday.

The residents were woken by a smoke alarm and the sound of explosions after lithium-ion batteries charging in their garage burst into flames.

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The garage bore the brunt of the blaze, with everything inside, including four cars, destroyed in the fire.

The home is also badly damaged and the family have been forced to find somewhere else to live.

Neighbours watched on as firefighters battled the blaze.

"Just pandemonium on Henry Street here, the smell of plastic, the street was crowded. It was a mess," neighbour Steve told 9News.

"There were three loud booms ... [I] looked out the back door and saw flames just coming out probably 25 metres up in the air.

"Fortunately our neighbour works for the Country Fire Association so he had the situation under control really quickly."

Nobody was injured in the blaze.

The family evacuated safely with their pet cat, Fire Rescue Victoria said.

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"The first thing we were worried about was the young kids," neighbour Dave added.

"And that everyone was alright ... and [we] saw them and fortunately they were all good."

It took about 90 minutes for crews to bring the fire under control.

Firefighters say they respond to blazes sparked by lithium-ion batteries almost every day.

Their advice is to only charge them in rooms with a smoke detector or where you can keep an eye on them.

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