In one week, three homes were ravaged by fires in the southern Riverina.
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NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Stewart Alexander said the blazes had a devastating impact on the occupants, homeowners and the wider community.
One Corowa man is lucky to be alive after his house caught fire on Sunday morning.
Superintendent Alexander said the man woke to his smoke alarm and discovered a house full of smoke.
The heat from the fire melted one of the smoke alarms on the ceiling, but the work of firefighters saw the fire contained to one room.
A single-storey home in Walbundrie could not be saved after embers from a fireplace sparked the fire around 5pm on Saturday.
"There is still quite a bit of damage to that one room and some smoke and water damage throughout the house, but it could have been a lot worse," Superintendent Alexander said.
He added crews from Culcairn and Henty supported the RFS teams.
The Rural Fire Service and NSW Fire and Rescue were called to the property on Walbundrie Road, three kilometres outside the township, and found the house "well alight".
"At the height of the fire there were 15 RFS trucks and four NSW Fire and Rescue trucks on-site," an RFS spokesperson told Australian Community Media.
Less than a week ago, a house fire broke out on the corner of Kincaid and Simmons streets in Wagga.
The blaze took several hours to extinguish after it penetrated the building's roof space.
Superintendent Alexander said responding to house fires poses a significant risk to firefighters due to the presence of electricity and gas.
He added it is more common to see house fires in the colder months due to the use of fireplaces, heaters and electric blankets.
"Have a think about your escape plan," Superintendent Alexander said.
"Ensure you have a working smoke alarm.
"Always call Triple Zero immediately so emergency services can respond."