A man whose home was badly damaged by a fire believes charging batteries may have sparked the costly blaze.
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Brian Waldron was in shock on Friday after trying in vain to prevent flames spreading through the West Wodonga home he shares with his wife, Pam.
His wife had been inside the Brewer Drive house and Mr Waldron had been in the backyard when the blaze broke out near a charging station for a cordless drill.
"I tried to put it out with the hose," he said on April 12.
"I couldn't get the water in there.
"I tried to squirt through one of the windows but the fire got into some paint tins and then got into some aerosol cans which started exploding.
"It just enveloped the house.
"The windows started exploding.
"The firies turned up and I just had to get away from the windows."
The flames burnt out a man cave and the couple's bedroom above, and spread into the roof cavity.
Mr Waldron said the bedroom floor "is not far away from collapsing".
While the house is unlivable with significant damage to one section, Mr Waldron believes it will probably be able to be repaired.
A council worker and structural engineer had to examine the premises.
"The rest of the house is fine," Mr Waldron said.
"We're lucky, it could have been totally burnt down.
"I've got a charging station in there, just for my cordless drill.
"I'm only guessing that's how it started to tell you the truth, I don't know."
The Waldrons have lived at the home, built by Scott James Builder, for more than a decade.
Their children had been heading to Wodonga from Melbourne following the fire and Mr Waldron said they were also being assisted by neighbours.
"We'll stay with family somewhere," he said.
The home is on a large block and also fronts Kingswood Way.
The CFA warns lithium-ion batteries pose a higher fire danger than other types of batteries.
Wodonga West CFA member Ross Coyle said firefighters were increasingly responding to battery fires.
"Of particular importance is to think about where you store your batteries as we're seeing so many more incidents of these fires started by batteries and their chargers, left in areas where they can catch fire to other parts of the house," he said.
In February, Albury Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Frank Finlay warned lithium-ion batteries could continue burning even while submerged in water.
"It's becoming very common now," Inspector Finlay said of batteries fires after a blaze at a Lavington home.
