A HOUSE fire in Bathurst on Thursday night has left a woman and two young children with severe burns.
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Four trucks from the Bathurst and Kelso fire brigades were quickly on the scene at around 7.45pm to find the Esrom Street fibro house alight. Three people had managed to escape the flames through the rear of the property.
The 35-year-old woman suffered severe burns to 40 per cent of her body. An 11-year-old boy and an 18-month-old baby boy also received burns.
Paramedics attended and two helicopters made a landing in a nearby park to retrieve the burns victims.
The mother was airlifted to Concord Hospital while the two children were airlifted to Westmead.
Inspector Steve Knight, NSW Fire and Rescue duty commander for the Bathurst area, said quick action by firefighters managed to keep the fire contained to one room and stopped it spreading to neighbouring properties.
The fire destroyed the lounge room and damaged a car in an adjacent car port.
Once the fire had been contained, a search of the home was conducted to confirm there was no one else in the house.
Inspector Knight praised the firefighters for their efforts.
The fire is being investigated by NSW Fire and Rescue and police forensics.
Police Deputy Superintendent Colin Cracknell said it appeared the fire started when a remote control car was being charged on a bed in one of the children’s rooms.
He said the woman saw smoke coming from the room and a mattress on fire.
Superintendent Cracknell said this could have been caused by a short circuit in the toy or by the charger overheating.
“This is a timely reminder that if you are charging any kind of device - toys, mobiles, cameras - make sure you do it on a hard surface so the air can circulate, preventing it from overheating,” he said.
Superintendent Cracknell said it appeared the mother attempted to drag the burning mattress out of the bedroom, which spread the fire to the rest of the home.
With the movement fanning the flames, the mattress was abandoned in the lounge room as the flames became too great.
However, when the family reached the front door, it was deadlocked and they had to escape through the rear of the property.