The occupants of a Woomargama home have been forced to flee the property as flames took hold and gutted the building.
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There was little firefighters could do to save the Dickson Street house on Tuesday night.
Flames started in the roof about 7.35pm, possibly caused by an electrical fault, and three children and two adults fled.
Rural Fire Service Superintendent Pat Westwood said more than 30 firefighters attended.
There had been concerns for the nearby pub, given the radiant heat generated by the blaze, but the fire crews contained the incident.
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"In this case it was very lucky," he said.
"The resident was able to raise the alarm quite early, and they were able to get the three children and the other resident out of the house.
"The early warning is what saved these people.
"Had that happened in the middle of the night, we may have seen a completely different outcome."
A large number of items were scattered around the property, including tens-of-thousands of litres of vegetable oil, which Superintendent Westwood had posed a concern.
It was unclear if the property was insured.
"The best insurance people can have for this is having a smoke alarm and also having a plan for your children about what you would do in the event of a house fire," he said.
"This is a really distressing thing for people to go through."
A police fire investigator examined the property on Wednesday to determine the cause.
