MORE than half a Rutherford house was destroyed after a fire ripped through the property causing several gas bottles to explode on Thursday afternoon.
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Rutherford Fire Station inspector Roger Whight said seven crews raced to the Squadron Crescent home at about 2.40pm, following reports of the blaze.
“We had about 24 firefighters on the scene,” he said. “It was a pretty solid fire. We were hampered by a partial collapse of the garage where the fire was hottest, which made it unsafe to enter, so we had to use some defensive strategies.
“There were four LPG gas cylinders stored in the garage and they did explode, which changed our strategy until we could confirm there were no more left in the garage.
“About 50 per cent of the home has been significantly damaged because the blaze moved from the garage into the kitchen and living area.
“It took about 50 minutes to extinguish.”
House fire victim’s missing dog
Friends have taken to social media in a hope to find the one of the resident’s missing dog after a fire ripped through a home in Rutherford on Thursday.
Kirra Mason posted to a Facebook group: “My friends house was the one in Rutherford that caught fire. She had to let her dog out to save him.
“We’re driving around looking for him now. If anybody sees him please let me know his white with black spots.”
Firefighters say the blaze is not suspicious
The cause of the blaze is unknown but Mr Whight said firefighters were not treating it as suspicious.
“Three people self-evacuated from the home, suffering from some smoke inhalation,” a NSW Fire and Rescue spokesman said on Thursday.
He said firefighters provided first aid to a male in his mid-30s who had suffered burns to his lower limbs, and an ambulance was called.
The injured man was treated on the scene by NSW paramedics before being taken to hospital for further treatment.
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