A Kooringal couple are without a home after a fire started in their garage and spread to the house on Wednesday night.
The elderly couple were inside their O’Hara Place home when they smelled smoke around 8pm, Wagga LAC’s Inspector Peter Robertson said.
“They were in the lounge, watching television, when they smelled what they thought was smoke and fire,” Inspector Robertson said.
“They thought it was the neighbour’s place, so they went outside and saw it was their garage.”
The pair tried to tackle the fire with a garden hose before they were overwhelmed.
NSW Fire and Rescue’s Turvey Park station officer Robert Wilson told the Advertiser the fire started in the garage.
“The fire started in the garage and spread to the house,” he said.
“The owners tried to put it out with a garden hose and then they evacuated and called triple-0.
“When we arrived the house was fully engulfed at the front and the garage area.”
More firefighters were called in and they worked quickly to contain the fire, with two hoses tackling the blaze from the front and one from each side, preventing it from spreading to neighbouring properties.
The fire was extinguished around 45 minutes later, but not before the home suffered major smoke, heat and water damage.
Police have estimated around $350,000 of damage was sustained in the fire, with a Honda Accord, the garage and half the home destroyed.
Paramedics were also at the scene, where they treated the occupants of the home for shock, Inspector Robertson said.
One person was taken to Wagga Base Hospital, but no further details are available.
More investigations are to take place, however Inspector Robertson said the fire is not being regarded as suspiciously-lit. It’s believed an electrical fault could have started the blaze,
