Fire and ambulance crews were called to the blaze, which started in the kitchen of a house in William Street about 7.30pm.

Five people were in the house when the fire started, but managed to flee the premises.

Neighbours assisted the elderly woman, believed to be 92, until an ambulance crew arrived a short time later.

Ambulance officers treated the woman at the scene for smoke inhalation. She required no further treatment and was not taken to hospital.

Firefighter Steve Nation, who attended the scene, said the blaze caused between $5000 and $8000 damage.

The fire, which took almost 30 minutes to contain, was confined to the kitchen; however, it caused smoke damage to other parts of the house, Mr Nation said.

He urged people to take care when cooking in their kitchen or when using electrical heating items and fires during the colder months.

“Be vigilant when using stove tops,” he said.

“Take extra care and don’t leave anything like that unattended. Maintain and clean stoves to keep them safe.”

He said more information could be found at www.cfa.vic.gov.au. Fire crews from Axedale, Junortoun and Bendigo attended the blaze.

– Shane Worrell