LATEST: POLICE LIFT THE CURTAIN ON THE DEVASTA-TING AFTERMATH OF SOUTH-WEST SYDNEY FIRE—THREE MEMBERS OF THE SAME FAMILY FOUND D-EAD INSIDE CHARRED HOME
A family of three, including a 16-year-old boy, have been found dead in a property following a massive fire in Sydney’s south-west.
A fire tore through a granny flat on Cornelia Street in Wiley Park after 9.30 last night, with firefighters arriving to see the property already engulfed in flames.
Fire had already torn through the granny flat by the time firefighters arrived. 9News
Police said three people, a 52-year-old man, a 43-year-old female and a 16-year-old male, lived in the granny flat.
It burned so fiercely that 20 firefighters and five trucks were needed to extinguish it, with firefighters struggling to initially gain access to the flat.
“The fire was already very well developed – there were flames coming out of the property,” Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell said on Thursday morning.
“They had to make access through the side of the property and the front, through the garden, which was quite challenging, there were obstacles.”
He said the fire was a terrible incident for the local community, and extended his thoughts to the family of the people who died.
“To lose three people in one fire like this is an absolute tragedy, it is devastating for the family of the people who have been lost last night,” he said.
“It has a severe impact on the surrounding neighbourhood and the community, and has an impact on the firefighters and first responders.”
Police and fire investigators remain on the scene to try and determine the cause of the fire. 9News
Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell said the fire and death of three people was “incredibly tragic”. 9News
“We’re working with extended family members at the moment to establish an identification,” Superintendent Sheridan Waldau said.
Police confirmed a crime scene had been declared and the arson squad was on the scene, but clarified this did not mean the fire was deliberately lit.
“Because we don’t know the circumstances of the fire, the state crime arson squad is always someone we will consult, so they’re here assisting us with that until we know what the cause is,” she said.
Advertisement
Officials have told 9News they have no main line of enquiry yet due to the extensive damage suffered by the flat, but possibilities being investigated included whether a heater or ebike had been involved.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
SOURCE: https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/nsw/three-dead-in-south-west-sydney-house-fire-20260730-p60jte.html
