A North Albury woman is devastated her newly purchased unit was gutted in a fire early Saturday morning.
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Police believe the blaze started in a faulty kitchen exhaust fan, spreading to the roof before ripping through the Union Road property leaving not much in its wake.
The woman, who didn’t wish to be identified, said she had bought the place in December and was slowly getting ready to move in.
“I was getting so excited,” she said.
“It’s going to be a long way off now.”
About 2am, neighbours alerted firefighters after smelling smoke.
It took about eight Albury NSW Fire and Rescue firefighters about an hour to control the blaze.
The woman came to the property a few hours later finding its inside turned to ash and many of her possessions burnt to a crisp or water logged.
“I was shocked,” she said.
“I still haven’t come to terms with it.”
The woman said she was lucky she wasn’t asleep inside and none of her neighbours were hurt.
“Stuff is stuff — it can be replaced, people can’t,” she said.
However, she said she was grateful sentimental belongings, such as her photos and a recipe book her grandmother gave her, were in the garage untouched by the fire.
Alta Hamid, who lives in the in the unit next door, said her husband woke her up after smelling smoke.
“The flames were coming out and the firefighters came and told us to get out, get out, get out,” she said.
“I was disorientated because I was in a deep sleep.”
Ms Hamid said she was first worried it would spread to her home but was later relieved to remember a fire wall separated the two units.
She said she grabbed her handbag, passport, glasses and raced out of the house.
“The rest, if it goes up in flames, so be it,” Ms Hamid said.
“My life is more important.”