Harley Gorman endured a night from hell, watching on as his house lit up in flames and his pets trapped inside.
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Ararat CFA was notified just before 10pm on July 3 of reports of a house fire on Marx Crescent with volunteers successfully preventing the fire from spreading to neighbouring properties.
The following day, Gorman said he was still "in a state of shock".
"Nothing can be salvaged from what I can see, everything is gone," he said.
"Everything was scorched, we were left with absolutely nothing.
"The cats are sadly gone, which is devastating along with everything in the house."
Mr Gorman occupies the premises with his sister Ashlee Sewastenko, who was not present at the time of the incident.
What started out as a relaxing night at home, quickly turned into a sense of panic and fear for Mr Gorman when he thought he smelt the smell of burning plastic.
"I opened my door and I was greeted with smoke and an enormous wave of heat," Mr Gorman explained.
"It was at that moment that I realised my house was on fire so I jumped out of my bedroom window and jumped the fence.
"I jumped out with the clothes I had on my back, that was absolutely it and went to look for help."
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Lieutenant Ash Turnham, who was the Incident Controller, said the CFA crew could see flames on the way to the scene.
"When we arrived we found a single-storey weatherboard house fully involved," he said.
"There were some issues with water pressure initially, but we quickly solved that issue by calling in extra tankers.
"The wind also started pushing the fire towards the neighbouring house so we tasked crews to protect that property.
"It was really a fantastic job by the crews to stop that house from being destroyed, although there was some damage to the wall and curtains."
Mr Gorman thought clothing near a heater may have contributed to the fire, but the cause will officially be determined by fire investigators on the scene.
"It's also an important reminder for people to ensure clothes are at least one metre from any heater and be wary of home fire safety throughout winter, '' Lt Turnham said.
There was nobody at home at the neighbouring property, while Mr Gorman escaped any major injuries.
"There was only one smoke alarm in that house, and the occupant said he was alerted to the fire after smelling smoke," said Lt Turnham.
"We recommend there should be working smoke alarms in every bedroom, living room and hallway, so they can alert you as quickly as possible."
Despite losing everything, Mr Gorman was determined to remain positive.
"I split my toenail, I injured my right quad and I damaged my left heel somehow, but I am still alive," he said.
"I took the brunt of the impact by jumping out of the window and fence barefoot I think.
"My injuries are only minor, I am just thankful I am alive.
"I have lost material things and that is mostly all things I can get back."
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In the short term, Mr Gorman has a place to stay with his step-father however he said he had planned on moving back to the Marx Crescent address once a house was rebuilt.
"I came straight to my step-father's house, who lives down the road for help," he said.
"He is happy to look after me for as long as I need until I get back on my feet.
"For now, I plan on just focussing on recovering from my injuries and the night itself."
Mr Gorman said the house was insured, however, was unsure whether it included content insurance.
If anyone wants to help Mr Gorman through donations they could contact him on 0455 744 023.
"I have genuinely lost everything, so anything would be a major help," he said.
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