Two units off Kaitlers Road were gutted and a third was damaged by the fire, with witnesses reporting flames two metres above the roofline. 

Des Corbett, 63, was left shocked by the incident, which left him with nowhere to sleep last night. 

“I’m feeling gutted,” he said. 

“I have building insurance but no contents insurance.”

He ran from the unit after noticing flames, making sure he took his dog with him. 

The three units share the same roof, which collapsed into the two units that were gutted by the fire. 

Peter Georgiou, who owns the partially damaged unit, said he was amazed by how quickly the fire had taken hold. 

“I’m shocked and dumbfounded,” he said. 

“I feel sorry for Des and the neighbours who have had their units destroyed. 

“As long as no one was hurt, that’s the main thing. 

“It could have been worse if they had been caught in there. 

“The smoke was so thick, you couldn’t move.”

Mr Georgiou tried to extinguish the fire with a garden hose and was helped by others.

“They tried to get my stuff out of the unit before the fire reached it,” he said.

“I was just holding the hose, trying to keep it down.”

Albury Central fire brigade station officer David Herbert said the fire appeared to have started in a bathroom or bedroom area of the first unit and quickly spread through the roof.

While the two elderly residents both had cigarettes yesterday morning, Mr Herbert said they believed they had put them out, and hadn’t used any electrical or cooking equipment.

“The units are all under un-partitioned roof space,” he said.

“We’re not regarding it as being suspicious at this stage, but we’re not sure what started it.

“With un-partitioned roof spaces a fire in a neighbouring unit will generally spread to the other units as well.”

The units are located near the Springdale Heights Tavern, with the fire starting about 10.20am.