THE father of an 18-year-old man who died in a house fire in Melton South this morning had been trying desperately to pull him from the inferno.
Wayne Cooke said he had heard yelling and screams for help in the early morning and jumped up to see his neighbour’s Hume Avenue house ablaze.
‘‘He was screaming ‘Daniel’s in there’ – that’s his son. I raced around but the fire had really took hold,’’ Mr Cooke said.
Mr Cooke said the father of the dead boy had told him that he had tried to grab his son and pull him out of the burning front room but it was too hot.
‘‘The flames were too strong. I just sat with him on the other side of the road. He told me how he tried to grab his hand but he had to let go.’’
Homicide squad detectives were at the scene after the discovery of the teenager’s body about 2am.
Mr Cooke also witnessed tense scenes earlier this morning when a crowd gathered near the razed house yelling ‘‘it’s payback time’’.
Homicide detectives said the teen’s 13-year-old brother and 58-year-old father were inside the house at the time of the fire but managed to escape unharmed.
Detective Shane O’Connell said it appeared the blaze had started in a bedroom of the red-brick house, which suffered extensive damage. He could not confirm whether accelerant was used.
The house and surrounding area have been declared a crime scene as homicide and arson police investigate. A post-mortem will be conducted today to determine the cause of the teen’s death.
A group of about 20 people have gathered at the house opposite, with friends and relatives appealing for privacy.
