Quick-thinking firefighters pulled wrapped presents from a house fire that left a Warrnambool family homeless 12 days before Christmas.

Two passersby, who arrived at the Ocean Grove house on Sunday as the male occupant escaped out the front door, attempted to put out the fire but struggled to get the garden hose to work.

The man’s heavily pregnant partner and young child were out shopping when the fire started and arrived home after the blaze had been extinguished.

Helen Fox and Tanya Murdila were driving along Nicholson Street when they noticed smoke.

“I drove past here and turned at the next corner and there was only a little bit of smoke, but by the time we did a U-ey and came back it was billowing,” Ms Fox said.

“We’ve jumped out of the car and run in and he was stumbling out the front door. Helen’s grabbed the garden hose and I’ve run around to the neighbours to see if anyone was living there, but there was nobody home,” Ms Murdila said. 

“I was going to take that hose and go in because I wasn’t sure if anyone else was in there,” Ms Fox said.

However, a bedroom window blew out and forced the women to retreat. “I’ve never seen a house fire before, but it goes pretty quick,” Ms Murdila said.

The semi-detached heritage-listed house was destroyed by the fire which police say was probably caused by a faulty or overloaded powerboard.

Warrnambool fire brigade senior station officer David Ferguson said firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to the neighbouring property, which is separated by a wall.

“Because of the extensive damage, a lot of tiles have fallen in, which has created a bit of a hazard for us,” Mr Ferguson said.

Firefighters noticed the Christmas presents in the lounge room and were able save them but were unable to salvage things from the child’s bedroom because everything was covered in soot.

AS THE EVENT UNFOLDED: 

UPDATE 1.55pm: Firefighters are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire at the Ocean Grove property, which they say likely started in a bedroom. 

The room received most of the damage but there is extensive smoke damage throughout the house, firefighters said. 

Crews have managed to save the occupants’ Christmas tree and presents.

UPDATE 1.35pm: People driving past the Ocean Grove house noticed a small amount of smoke which alerted them to the fire, they have told The Standard. 

After performing a U-turn, they saw an occupant of the house stumble from the front door. 

They attempted to hook up a garden hose to work on the fire, but had trouble with the fittings. 

Attention then turned to helping the occupant save his dog from the rear yard while waiting for emergency services to arrive, they said. 

Four trucks are on scene and the roads are blocked off near the intersection of Ocean Grove and Nicholson Street.  

The Standard believes the firefighters managed to collect Christmas presents and take them to a safe spot while they worked to extinguish the fire.  

UPDATE 1pm: Two crews are working to contain the fire on Ocean Grove, Warrnambool. 

People have been evacuated from neighbouring homes and are standing about the street as firefighters respond to the call. 

They are pulling Christmas presents from the house. 

The roof at the front of the building has fallen. 

Plumes of smoke can be seen from the area. 

EARLIER: Firefighters have been called to a structure fire in Warrnambool. 

One vehicle has so far been turned out to the fire in Ocean Grove. 

Updates are also available via the Vic Emergency website. 

More to come.