'Hoarder house' goes up in smoke in Melbourne

Melbourne has been rocked after a house exploded into a terrifying fireball.

Nearby residents fled in panic as the home occupied by a suspected hoarder went up in flames in Noble Park.

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Neighbour Birkan Omerogullari told 9News he thought it was a car accident.

"I couldn't stay home because the smoke was pretty intense inside our house there," he said.

Fire fighters battled the blaze for hours, with clutter in and around the property a challenge for crews.

CFA Chief Fire Officer Jason Heffernan said it was a "hoarder house."

"Crews had to deal with the unique risk of responding to those type of incidents," he said.

The owner wasn't home at the time the fire broke out but he returned to see the damage as fire crews worked to put out spot fires to make it safe for investigators to enter.

The damage is so severe what's left of the property will be demolished in stages over the coming days.

Fire fighters say it serves as a timely reminder to keep properties maintained.