A FAMILY of eight has been left devastated after their Leeton home was completely destroyed by fire on Wednesday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Fire and Rescue crew from Leeton, as well as Narrandera and Griffith raced to the scene of the fire just before 7pm, finding the Beech Street property fully ablaze on arrival.
Fire and Rescue Duty Commander Matt Hunter said a working fire alarm in the home had saved the lives of the eight people inside who were able to evacuate unharmed.
"It was a working smoke alarm that alerted them to the fire," Duty Commander Hunter said.
"The single-level family home was totally involved in fire when crews arrived.
"They were able to establish early on that a family of eight had self-evacuated. Crews got to work and, through great efforts, were able to stop the fire from spreading to neighbouring buildings.
"The fire was quite fierce and intense. It was generating a lot of smoke through the neighbourhood."
It took crews around 40 minutes to bring the blaze under control, with the fire fully extinguished about one hour later.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Police and paramedics were also on scene, but there were no reported injuries. Investigations into how the fire started are ongoing.
Murrumbidgee Police crime manager Eugene Steck has said the fire does not appear to be suspicious, at this stage.
Detective Inspector Steck said officers were called to the scene about 6.37pm on Wednesday night and would return to the property today as part of their investigation.
"Police noticed the house well alight, with thick smoke blanketing the street which meant visibility was poor," he said.
"Police ensured that everyone was safe.
"Unfortunately the house was totally destroyed and structurally unstable."
Mayor Paul Maytom on Thursday morning was meeting with the affected family to see how the community could help after they lost everything in the fire.
Duty Commander Hunter reminded residents during the winter months to take precautions when it came to heating and cooking to ensure a fire doesn't start in their home.
"We always say every year as part of our winter campaign when drying clothes to keep them a metre from your heater," he said.
"We'd also like to remind people to check their smoke alarms are in good working order as that is what has saved the lives of this family."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters