A 46-year-old woman and six-year-old girl have died in a house fire in Sydney’s southwest overnight, with police investigating the cause.
Emergency services were called to Heckenberg at 12:40am on Wednesday to reports of a fire, where fire crews extinguished the blaze within an hour and a half.
The bodies of the woman and girl were found in the home, and are yet to be formally identified.
Police said there were eight other people, including four children and four adults, inside the home at the time, all of whom escaped. Occupants were treated at the scene by paramedics.
Two people—a girl and a man—were in critical condition and taken to hospital. The girl went to Westmead Children’s Hospital and the man to Concord Hospital.
Police also said a second child and man were taken to Liverpool Hospital.
Fire and Rescue Assistant Commissioner Michael Morris told Sky News that crews were quick to the scene.
“The first fire truck was on scene within approximately 5 minutes of the initial 000 call, so a very rapid response. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, it wasn’t going to make any difference to this outcome,” Morris said.
NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Adam Dewberry described the fire as “horrific and confronting”, and added that it was “coming out of every window”.
Dewberry said there wasn’t any indication of what caused the fire, or whether the home had working smoke alarms.
“Police forensics are starting to work their way through this tragic scene to have a look at where and how this fire actually started.”
He also said it’s important for people to check their smoke alarms to ensure they’re working, as that helps “save lives”.
Police forensics are investigating how the fire started and will prepare a report for the coroner.