Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators in Sydney's west have determined that materials left too close to a heater sparked a house fire, from which five people, including a newborn baby, narrowly escaped.
More than a dozen firefighters responded to the blaze, which broke out in a bedroom within a granny flat on the property in Mala Street, Smithfield, just before 1:30 am. It took them more than 30 minutes to extinguish the flames.
NSW Ambulance paramedics
Two adults, from the flat, were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics for smoke inhalation before being taken to the hospital. A three-week-old baby, which the occupants carried to safety, wasn't injured. The occupants of an adjoining home were also evacuated as a precaution.
FRNSW Superintendent, Adam Dewberry, warns that working smoke alarms should be fitted in common areas of the home, and in each bedroom if they sleep with their doors shut. "Fires can take hold in just minutes and having working smoke alarms fitted in your home gives yourself and your loved ones the best chance of survival," Supt Dewberry said.
