Rangeville home gutted by fire
AN INFERNO has gutted a Rangeville home and forced a man and his three sons to flee for their lives.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire which completely destroyed the interior of the Currawong St rental property.
Adam and Tamara Stiller lived in the home with their two daughters and three sons, the youngest just two years old.
Mrs Stiller and her daughters were in Sydney when the fire broke out early this afternoon.
Charred toys within the home and a lone pram parked on the front lawn indicate just how catastrophic the blaze
could have been if the occupants had not made a quick escape.
Glen Diplock was the first person on the scene, having run to his neighbours' aid when the smell of smoke began filling the street.
"We could hear a lot of glass breaking so I said to my wife, 'Call the fire brigade'," he said.
"I ran outside and a couple of other neighbours came across.
"We also disconnected the power and gas and made sure all the guys were out.
"He (Mr Stiller) kept wanting to go back inside, but I wouldn't let him go back in."
The usually-quiet neighbourhood was filled with onlookers who watched the distressing scene unfold.
Firefighters wearing self-contained breathing apparatus entered the home to snuff out the fire from the inside out.
Acting Station Officer Scott Frame said the cause of the fire had not been determined.
"All of the rooms of the house are pretty much wiped out," he said.
"From initial reports and a look at the building ourselves, it seemed quite hot in the cenral rear of the building but that is unconfirmed at this time."
Mr Diplock said minor smoke damage to his neighbouring home was the last of his concerns.
"I just feel sorry for these guys," he said.
"The wife and two daughters are away at the moment, so they will come home to a bit of an awful scene.
"I'm sure the neighbours will rally and make sure they are looked after."
