A rescue team braved “intense fire conditions” to rescue two children from a burning home in Orange but were unable to save a woman believed to be the children’s mother.
The man was able to escape the fire without help, but the body of the missing woman was found after the fire was put out.
Emergency crews were called to a home on Pimpala Place just before 6am on Saturday morning shortly after a blaze broke out.
Firefighters arrived to find the house in flames amid neighbours’ cries there people were still inside.
Survivors in hospital
NSW Police said the man suffered burns after trying to re-enter the home, while the two children were treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation.
All three were transferred to nearby Orange Base Hospital where the man remains in a serious but stable condition.
One of the children is also in a stable condition at the hospital while the other was transferred to Sydney for further treatment.
Police and fire investigators are looking into the cause of the incident.
Fire and Rescue NSW superintendent Adam Dewberry said he couldn’t comment on the details surrounding the Orange house fire, but everyone should ensure they had a working smoke alarm fitted in all levels of their homes.
-AAP
