Bev Sandford was two doors up at a neighbour's house when her Fortune Street dwelling caught alight around 2.30pm.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but it isn't considered suspicious.

CFA brigades from Rutherglen, Chiltern, Wahgunyah, Wangaratta and Springhurst attended the scene shortly after and didn't wrap up until almost 9.30pm.

"It took quite some time to extinguish because of the substantial fuel load and the fact there was asbestos," Commander Paul Scragg said.

"We have to be very careful when we start dealing with asbestos and take extra precautions to ensure we don't disturb it too much."

Next-door neighbours of six-and-a-half years Paul and Sabine Winkler rushed to help before crews arrived.

"I saw flames coming from the side of house and I ran over there calling for her," Mrs Winkler said.

"I thought if she was in there she was gone, but I had a feeling she wasn't because she goes out a lot and thankfully she was up at the neighbours.

"The community were amazing. People were just dropping out of the sky and watering down the house.

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"I think I'm shaking more inside now than I was when it happened. You didn't have time to be scared.

"We were worried trees were going to catch alight when the wind started picking up."

Mr Winkler said the house was all but gone in 20 minutes.

"We had Bev here for a while and we gave her a bit of money to get some clothes and so forth," he said.

"She's lived there for 76 years. It was her family home. She was one or two when she came from Brisbane.

"There's lots of memories in the house and belongings which can't be replaced. She had a lot dolls and teddy bears all dressed up."

Mrs Winker said Mrs Sandford brings a lot of joy to the community on a daily basis.

"She tells us the weather every day so we call her Bev Bunn," she said.

"She always dresses up for parties and everyone knows her and loves her."

Mr and Mrs Winkler said fundraising efforts had already begun.

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