A three-year-old boy has died in a house fire in Melbourne's outer west, with his father hospitalised in a coma after suffering severe burns during a rescue attempt. The blaze broke out at a single-storey brick home on Newbury Street in Werribee just after midnight on Monday.
Emergency services arrived to find the property fully alight, with 40 firefighters from Fire Rescue Victoria and the Country Fire Authority taking about an hour to bring the blaze under control. Police confirmed a child was found deceased inside, while a male resident was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The preschooler has been identified as Jordan Dashwood in a GoFundMe page organised by family friend Jardine Jackson. Jordan's mother, Janelle, and his older brother escaped the fire, but his father, Jeremy, remains in a coma. Two family dogs also died in the incident.
Jackson described Jordan as "a bright light in this world, full of innocent joy," adding that the family's "entire world was reduced to ashes." The father, aged 40, suffered burns while trying to save his son, according to multiple media reports.
Police said the fire is not being treated as suspicious, though an arson chemist will attend the scene. Investigators are considering whether an e-scooter battery may have sparked the blaze, the ABC reported. Forensics personnel were seen examining the charred property on Monday morning.
