Ten-year-old boy one of three people killed in horror south-west Sydney house fire
A deadly house fire in the Sydney’s south-west has claimed the lives of three people, including a ten-year-old boy, and left two firefighters in hospital.
About 5.40am, 10 fire trucks responded to an emergency at a townhouse on Rottnest Avenue, Hinchinbrook.
Neighbours spotted the flames at the home of a Vietnamese family of six, but it was too late to save all of them.
“I heard a loud bang,” neighbour William Esera said.
“However I do live near the highway, so at first I thought it was just a car.”
“I saw a lot of smoke from the back and the flames were pretty high.”
Two women, who are yet to be formally identified but are believed to be in their 40s and 60s, died at the scene.
The 10-year-old boy was taken to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in a critical condition but he later died.
Three other people who were rescued from the house remain in hospital: a man in his 40s, who is in a critical condition, and two women aged in their 30s and 40s, both of whom are stable.
Fire and Rescue NSW Super Intendant Luke Unsworth said two crew members were also injured at the scene.
“One firefighter received an electric shock and one firefighter fell through a weakened flood and they’ve injured their back,” he said.
Both firefighters were taken to hospital in serious conditions.
Officials on Sunday night confirmed there were no working smoke alarms in the home.
Fire and Rescue Deputy Commissioner Megan Stiffler said there had been 500 house fires so far this winter, and 13 people have died.
“We’ve lost 13 lives due to home fires this year and that’s nine more than the whole winter season last year,” she said.
“Our people are devastated.”
She urged people to check their smoke alarms.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known, and an investigation is underway and a crime scene has been established.
