A 62-year-old man has died in a house fire in the Ballarat suburb of Wendouree this morning, about 1.5 hours north-west of Melbourne.
Emergency services were called to the fire at a block of units on Marigold Street about 6:30am.
Police said neighbours called Triple Zero (000) and used a fire extinguisher to try to suppress the flames.
When firefighters arrived, they found the man alone, inside and unresponsive.
A crime scene has been established at the block of units in Marigold Street, Wendouree. (ABC News: Laura Mayers)
He was taken out of the unit and treated, but could not be revived.
The ABC has been told a neighbour broke a window with a pole and attempted to get the man out of the house, but the smoke was too thick.
Police are treating the area as a crime scene while they investigate the cause of the fire.
Anyone who witnessed the fire, has dash cam or CCTV footage, or has information, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.