A passer-by jumped into action to rescue an elderly couple whose Wyndham Vale home caught fire on Thursday morning.
The man noticed flames coming from the house on Provan Drive about 7.45am, Country Fire Authority duty officer Ken Houston said.
He alerted the couple inside the house, both aged in their 70s, who were able to escape before fire and smoke engulfed the property.
“The passer-by then used the garden hose to help knock down the fire before CFA crews arrived on scene,” Mr Houston said.
“Firefighters managed to contain the blaze to the lounge room, however the rest of the house was heavily smoke and heat damaged.”
Mr Houston said there did not appear to be any working smoke detectors in the house and stressed the importance of having the life-saving devices.
An electric heater was thought to have cause the fire, he said.
Paramedics treated the couple at the scene, but they did not require hospitalisation.