Woman and three children die in horror Melbourne house fire as blaze leaves man in hospital with serious injuries and arson squad launches investigation

A woman and three children have died in a horror house fire which also left another man in hospital with serious injuries.

Emergency services were called to Tulloch Grove in Glen Waverley in south east Melbourne about 1.40am.

On neighbour explained that 'you could just hear screaming' as 'the whole place was up in smoke'. 

'All of the smoke was spreading across the street and around the corner,' the neighbour told The Herald Sun. 

Another neighbour explained the layout of the house made it extremely difficult for the woman to escape, and said the front door would have been her only option but it had been engulfed in smoke.

“It was just horrible,” she said. “Those poor children couldn’t get out.'

It took 35 firefighters several hours to bring the blaze under control, at which point they found the four bodies in the wreckage. 

A woman and three children have died in a horror house fire which has also left another man in hospital with serious injuries

A man, believed to be in his 50s, was able to escape and was taken directly to hospital.

Authorities are working to determine the cause of the fire, but the arson squad is on hand and investigating.

The woman and three children inside the two-storey townhouse are yet to be formally identified.

'The relationship with the occupants is undetermined at this point of time but more details will come to light with the investigation as it proceeds,' Fire Rescue Victoria assistant chief fire officer Costa Katsikis said.

'Upon arrival they were confronted by a fierce fire, a high fire load, a very hot fire that tragically ended in the loss of four lives and one person taken to hospital with smoke inhalation,' he said. 

Neighbours were also evacuated as a precaution as smoke billowed into the community.  

Anyone with further information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. 

Authorities are working to determine the cause of the fire, but the arson squad is on hand and investigating