Brigade Captain Earl Sharman said it was pouring with rain when firefighters arrived on scene.

"So, houses do burn down in the wet weather," he quipped.

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"It was probably brought under control within half an hour by firemen who entered though the front doorway."

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus ran out two lines of hose to bring the fire under control in a matter of minutes, but a number of stubborn hot spots had crews working into the night before the fire was extinguished.

The unfurnished residence was unoccupied and the fire was confined to its two front rooms.

"The house was derelict, had numerous windows broken and doors broken where vandals had been through," Capt Sharman said.

"There was asbestos on-site so precautions had to be carried out in regards to the firefighter's safety.

"It was a quick knockdown by the blokes. They've always done a good job in the wet weather."

Capt Sharman said he was not at all surprised when he saw which house was burning.

Police, Ambulance and Essential Energy also attended the scene and the blaze.

"Then we had a call out at about midnight that night from a faulty alarm at Emmaville Hospital," he said.

"They had all the right things in order and had evacuated all the residents to the front area."

Capt Sharman said the brigade was called out twice on Tuesday, February 18 to false alarm calls, one at a nursing home and the other to a private residence.

"One was toast burning," he said.

"But it's been quite a while since we went there, so it's a good way to test the system."

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