Thirty firefighters and ten appliances, including aerial units, were deployed to extinguish the blaze, which took several hours.

A devastating house fire occurred on Fergus Court in Sydenham, Melbourne, on Sunday night, shocking the local community.

Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion, likening it to a bomb, which prompted frantic calls to emergency services.

Firefighters rescued three unconscious children from the burning home: a five-year-old girl, a three-year-old boy, and a 21-month-old girl, all of whom were in critical condition.

Emergency services were alerted to the fire around 9:40 PM, with flames and smoke visible from the roof.

The children were treated for smoke inhalation and transported to the Royal Children's Hospital.

While the two younger children did not sustain physical burns, they required treatment for severe smoke inhalation, and the eldest child remains in critical condition.

The children's mother, Shania Lee, had moved into the house just a week prior to the incident and was present at the hospital.

Detectives from the arson and explosives squad are investigating the cause of the fire, which is believed to have burned for up to 30 minutes before the children were rescued.

Authorities are seeking information regarding the whereabouts of the children's parents at the time of the incident.

Police are urging anyone with relevant information about the fire to contact Crime Stoppers.

Neighboring properties are being evaluated for smoke damage, but the fire did not spread beyond the initial house.