A Melbourne house fire left a 7-year-old boy and his father in critical condition; four others were injured.

A house fire in Melbourne’s north-west left a seven-year-old boy in critical condition and four others injured, including his father who suffered severe burns trying to rescue him. The incident occurred Tuesday night at a single-storey home on Whitmore Place, where flames spread rapidly, likely from an oil heater. Emergency crews took 36 minutes to extinguish the blaze, and five family members, including two children, a woman, and a toddler, were hospitalized. The boy and his father remain in critical condition, while the nine-year-old brother and mother are stable. The toddler was unharmed. Authorities are investigating the cause, which is not considered suspicious, and urge witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers.