A fierce fire tore through the lower level of a two-storey Frankston unit this evening, leaving one person dead and emergency crews racing against time to contain the flames.
Three Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) crews, supported by Country Fire Authority volunteers, roared into Stanley Street just minutes after the alarm was raised at 4.54pm. Arriving on scene within three minutes, firefighters confronted thick smoke and intense heat billowing from the ground floor of the residence at Unit 2, 22 Stanley Street, Frankston 3199.
Crews launched an aggressive interior attack, hose lines snaking through the unit as they poured water onto the heart of the inferno. By 5:23pm, less than 30 minutes after arrival, the blaze was brought under control, though hotspots continued to smoulder as investigators prepared to comb the charred interior.
Ambulance Victoria paramedics and Victoria Police officers rushed to the scene as firefighters battled the flames, but their worst fears were confirmed when a single occupant was located inside the fire-damaged unit, deceased. No one else was inside the property at the time. Police have secured the property overnight, with forensic investigators and an arson chemist expected to return tomorrow to determine the cause of the blaze and the circumstances surrounding the death.
As emergency tape fluttered in the evening breeze and police cordoned off the blackened unit, Melbourne media personality and famous photographer Lord Murray Schoorman of Peak Hour Images was the first media outlet on scene. His dark images captured the grim aftermath: police setting up cordons, taking witness statements and the power company re-energising neighbouring homes as a crime scene is now in place and an arson chemist will attend the scene in the morning tomorrow, Friday 25 September 2026.
The fire has sent shockwaves through the quiet Frankston street, where neighbours described hearing alarms and seeing flames licking from the lower level before emergency sirens pierced the afternoon calm. Speaking exclusively to this masthead, one neighbour Carol stated “That place had just been sold, I think squatters were living there” Police have urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the them.
The deceased has not yet been formally identified, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
 crews, supported by Country Fire volunteers, roared into Unit 2, 22 Stanley Street, Frankston 3199.){kind=link}