Emergency crews responded to a series of early morning house fires in Craigieburn, Glen Waverley, and Noble Park, with the blazes igniting before dawn.

In Craigieburn, the fire completely destroyed a residence, leaving neighbors to describe the scene as both “intense” and “terrifying.”

Paul Buck from Fire Rescue Victoria indicated that officials suspect foul play may have contributed to the fire’s origin.

“The house was vacant and seemed to lack much furniture,” Buck reported. “Given the intensity of the flames, it suggests there might have been some external influence involved.”

Local residents informed 9News that the vacant property was frequently occupied by squatters.

Neighbours told 9News the home was known to be used by squatters. 

Around the same time, a car was seen driving away from a home in Glen Waverley after it went ablaze.

“Neighbouring properties were under threat, so firefighters had to work extremely hard to protect those properties,” Buck said.

Earlier in the evening, another fire took hold of a home in Noble Park.

CCTV captured a man walking into the yard, entering the house through a window and running out the front door with a dog minutes later.

Then, the home appeared to be on fire.

All three homes, which were unoccupied at the time of the fires, were gutted.

At this stage, police do not believe the fires are linked but investigators are working through what’s left of the homes to determine the cause.