A teenage boy and two family members have died in a house fire in Sydney’s south-west.
Emergency services were called to a Cornelia Street home in Wiley Park at about 9.45pm on Wednesday following numerous triple zero calls about a fire.
Twenty firefighters were confronted by a blaze so ferocious that they struggled to access the granny flat engulfed in flames at the back of the property.
Crews forced their way through the burning exterior of the property, extinguishing scaffolding and garden trellis had also caught alight.
The bodies of a boy 16, woman, 43 and man, 52, were found inside the badly damaged granny flat after the fire was extinguished.
An elderly woman lived in the home on the property, while her son, daughter, and grandson resided in the rear granny flat, according to neighbours.
A crime scene was established as an investigation was launched into the cause.
FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell spent the night at the scene supporting emergency responders and was still there on Thursday morning.
A teenage boy, 16, and his parents have died in a horror house fire in Wiley Park
An investigation into the cause of the deadly blaze is now underway
Police ad fire investigators remained at the scene on Thursday
‘The fire was already very well developed – there were flames coming out of the property,’ he said.
‘They had to make access through the side of the property and the front, through the garden, which was quite challenging, there were obstacles.
‘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.
‘It has a severe impact on the surrounding neighbourhood and the community, and has an impact on the firefighters and first responders.’
Detectives and forensics officers remained at the scene on Thursday, along with the state crime arson squad and sniffer dogs.
‘Because we don’t know the circumstances of the fire, the state crime arson squad are here assisting us with that until we know what the cause is,’ NSW Police Superintendent Sheridan Waldau said.
Neighbours raced to the scene after hearing an unusual noise but there was little they could do.
‘I just ran outside to see if I could help, but there wasn’t much that could be done it was in full swing at that point,’ one man told the Daily Telegraph.
Firefighters were confronted with a ferocious blaze on Wednesday night
The bodies of a family-of-three were found inside a granny flat at the back of a property
The cause of the blaze remains unknown
‘We were so surprised at how quickly it went from zero to what it was. It just took over.
‘It’s very devastating to hear what happened to them.’
Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said that the tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers of home fires, particularly in the colder months.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Anyone with information about the blaze is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
