Smoke alarm a saviour in Hillam Avenue fire

A smoke alarm has been the saviour for a man who woke to find his Hillam Avenue home on fire in the early hours of last Thursday morning.

Narrabri Fire and Rescue responded to the blaze at 2am. On their way to the incident, officers could see visible flames alerting them to the nature of the fire.

Two Narrabri Fire and Rescue trucks responded with the HAZMAT unit due to the structure containing asbestos.

The local brigade was supported by Wee Waa Fire and Rescue as well as the Narrabri Rural Fire Service in their firefighting efforts.

Narrabri Fire and Rescue captain Shane Bradford said the man had been alerted to the unfolding incident thanks to a working smoke alarm.

After opening his bedroom door, the man could see the fire well-engulfing the home.

He exited the home with his dog through the bedroom window. The man and dog were uninjured. Ambulance and police also attended.

The firefighting operation took three hours due to the tiled roof and firefighters being unable to be inside the structure as it was deemed to be too dangerous.

“The fire took hold of the home very quickly,” Capt Bradford said.

“This is a timely reminder, particularly at this time of the year, that working smoke alarms save lives.”

The cause of the fire is being investigated, however, an electrical fault is the likely cause of the blaze.

The fire ended a busy night for Narrabri Fire and Rescue crews which had previously responded to a B-double collision on the Newell Highway south of Narrabri.

A fire truck and the HAZMAT unit attended.

Fuel had to be decanted from a damaged tank on one of the B-double vehicles.