By Casey Neill
Nine days after his father died, Greg Blundell received a call from his late dad’s neighbour.
His Ferntree Gully home was burning to the ground.
Greg said his dad, Steve, had lived there 40 years and was 70 when he died.
“He made banjos,“ he said.
“He repaired guitars for Timor.“
A treasured banjo collection and an s-series Chrysler Valiant were among the items destroyed in the blaze.
Fire crews were called to The Avenue about 10.40am.
Boronia Fire Brigade senior station officer Andrew Marmion said crews arived to find the three-bedroom weatherboard home fully involved.
“The home was destroyed,“ he said.
He said the fire was also affecting a neighbouring house, but firefighters were able to intervene and save it from going up in flames.
Only an external wall was damaged, but smoke damage inside is likely.
“Firefighters were hampered by limited water in the area,“ Mr Marmion said.
Multiple hoses ran from the top of The Avenue to carry water to the scene.
About 1pm, crews were still on-scene to contain a gas leak.
The fire destroyed the home’s gas main and firefighters were keeping a hose on the leaking supply while waiting for gas crews to arrive and isolate the supply.
Fire investigators were also on-scene but had not determined the fire’s cause.
