Heartbreaking Final Moments: Family of Three K-i-lled in Devastating Sydney Fire as Witnesses Recall the Ter-rifying Scene
A neighbourhood in Sydney’s south-west has been left reeling after a family of three, including a 16-year-old boy, were killed in a massive granny flat fire overnight.
A fire tore through the granny flat on Cornelia Street in Wiley Park after 9.30 last night, with firefighters arriving to see the property already engulfed in flames.
Fire had already torn through the granny flat by the time firefighters arrived. 9News
Witnesses told nine.com.au they called emergency services after hearing crackling sounds from across the road, before noticing that the granny flat was already well lit.
“We thought it might just be kids playing in the street, but we went up to our balcony and saw that the granny flat across the street was in flames,” one local said.
“The fire brigade’s response was very quick, they came within five minutes, then we rushed down the street.
“It was a lot of chaos.”
Police said three people, a 52-year-old man, a 43-year-old female and a 16-year-old male, lived in the granny flat.
Residents on the street said those killed in the fire were well-loved within the community and that the street will not be the same without them.
“[The woman] would sit outside and every morning just to say hello,” a neighbour told nine.com.au.
“This morning you wake up, and it’s not going to happen any more.”
Neighbours say they called fire crews after hearing crackling across the street. Nine.com.au
It burned so fiercely that 20 firefighters and five trucks were needed to extinguish it, with firefighters struggling to initially gain access to the flat.
“The fire was already very well developed – there were flames coming out of the property,” Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell said on Thursday morning.
“They had to make access through the side of the property and the front, through the garden, which was quite challenging, there were obstacles.”
Police and fire investigators remain on the scene to try and determine the cause of the fire. 9News
He said the fire was a terrible incident for the local community, and extended his thoughts to the family of the people who died.
“To lose three people in one fire like this is an absolute tragedy, it is devastating for the family of the people who have been lost last night,” he said.
“It has a severe impact on the surrounding neighbourhood and the community, and has an impact on the firefighters and first responders.”
Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell said the fire and death of three people was “incredibly tragic”. 9News
“We’re working with extended family members at the moment to establish an identification,” Superintendent Sheridan Waldau said.
Police confirmed a crime scene had been declared, and the arson squad was on the scene, but clarified this did not mean the fire was deliberately lit.
“Because we don’t know the circumstances of the fire, the state crime arson squad is always someone we will consult, so they’re here assisting us with that until we know what the cause is,” she said.
Officials have told 9News they have no main line of enquiry yet due to the extensive damage suffered by the flat, but possibilities being investigated included whether a heater or ebike had been involved.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
