THE blaze at Stan Miosge’s rental home had burnt fiercely in the front room and had likely been alight for some time before emergency services arrived.
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Multiple Triple-0 calls were made about 6.20am as the blaze burnt at the Willowbank Road home.
It’s believed the fire may be non-suspicious, but police are yet to confirm this.
It’s believed Mr Miosge let birds that he kept on the property free from their cage before the fire started, and that gates leading to the property had been locked.
He had recently broken up with his partner and been diagnosed with cancer, and was suffering from diabetes.
There were reports he had been due to be evicted from the home, where he had stayed for several years, on the day of the fire.
Emergency services had been concerned a second person was inside the building but they were able to quickly rule that out.
Firefighters spent about 30 minutes bringing the fire under control and stayed on scene targeting hot spots for hours.
Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Stewart Alexander said an accelerant detection dog and fire investigator from Sydney had attended.
“It’s a real tragedy for his family and friends and also for firefighters who did their utmost to get him out of there,” he said.
“They did everything they could to save him.
“The fire was quite intense, particularly in the front part of the house.”
Firefighters had to transport water from two kilometres away due to a lack of access.
“We had problems with water supply but we had enough resources on hand to transport water to and from to make sure we could put the fire out,” he said.
If this topic affects you, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
