A Corowa man is lucky to be alive after his house caught fire in the early hours of Sunday morning.
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NSW Fire and Rescue Corowa said the man was woken by a smoke alarm and discovered a house full of smoke.
The heat from the fire melted one of the smoke alarms on the ceiling.
NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Stewart Alexander said crews were called to the house at 4.20am.
"They attended to find a fire in the rear of the home," he said.
"Luckily no one was hurt and thanks to the quick actions of the Corowa Fire and Rescue crew the fire was contained to just that one room near the back of the house.
"There is still quite a bit of damage to that one room and some smoke and water damage throughout the house but it could have been a lot worse."
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The Corowa station posted on its Facebook page on Sunday afternoon and said the power had gone out during the fire.
"A crew in breathing apparatus quickly attacked the fire and a second crew quickly searched the house to ensure nobody else was inside," the post stated.
"The occupant explained to us that he was awoken by a smoke alarm.
"He also explained that the power had gone out and his house was full of smoke making it more difficult to find his way out.
"As you can see the heat melted the smoke detectors so this is a great example of how working smoke alarms can and do save lives."
Superintendent Alexander said it is a timely reminder that "working smoke alarms save lives".
"It appears the man was woken by a working smoke alarm which definitely saved his life," he said.
The cause of the fire is not yet known but investigations are continuing.
