A RICHARDS Place home is in ruins and another suffered extensive damage after a house fire on Saturday afternoon.
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No one was seriously injured, with four people safely evacuated from the premises before emergency services crews arrived on the scene just after 12pm.
The fire completely destroyed one property and caused widespread damage to a second when it spread through a shared wall.
Emergency services were notified of the blaze via a triple-zero call at 12.03pm.
VIDEO: Saturday afternoon’s house fire at Richards Place:
Initial information was that a fire had broken out at a property in Sir Neville Howse Place, but when Orange Fire and Rescue NSW crews arrived at the scene they were confronted with a Richards Place residence engulfed in flames.
The house’s partially collapsed roof meant crews – including NSW Rural Fire Services personnel called in as back up – were prevented from entering the premises, which was extinguished at about 1.40pm, but not before the home was all but destroyed.
The blaze had spread to an adjoining Richards Place property, which firefighting crews were able to enter and largely salvage.
Fire and Rescue NSW Station Officer Matthew Jeffery said the intensity of the flames was particularly destructive.
“It had enough intensity and heat to allow it to spread into the second property through a shared wall and common roof,” Mr Jeffery said.
Almost all residents escaped injury, with one person treated for minor smoke inhalation at the scene.
Firefighting and emergency services crews left the scene at 3.45pm.
The cause of the blaze is still to be determined, but initial investigations by Fire and Rescue NSW suggest it was an accidental ignition.
Mr Jeffery praised the efforts by police, paramedics, RFS and Essential Energy in limiting the damage and ensuring the safety of residents.
VIDEO: Saturday afternoon’s house fire at Richards Place:
“Police were first on scene and were able to confirm that all people had left the houses and stopped them from re-entering,” Mr Jeffery said.
“We called the RFS to provide extra manpower, which was much appreciated.”
The incident continued a horror run of fires in the area in 2017.
There have been at least nine fires reported in or near Glenroi this year, with houses, cars, a caravan and the Glenroi Community Centre all suffering damage.
Declan Rurenga
Declan Rurenga was the editor of Griffith's Area News and Leeton's Irrigator until September 2023. Before landing at the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, he reported news in Junee, Wagga Wagga, Orange and Cootamundra.
Declan Rurenga was the editor of Griffith's Area News and Leeton's Irrigator until September 2023. Before landing at the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, he reported news in Junee, Wagga Wagga, Orange and Cootamundra.
