A 78-year-old man has died and another person rescued and taken to hospital for smoke inhalation in an intense fire in Kandos on Tuesday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Firefighters – who fought the blaze for six hours - arrived to flames roaring through an opening at the front of the building and large volumes of thick smoke were billowing from the roof on all sides.
At 05.59am FRNSW received reports of a fire at Rodgers Street, firefighters from Kandos and Mudgee arrived to find a structure located at the rear of the property heavily involved in fire.
Two occupants, a 51-year-old man and 74-year-old woman, reported the man was still trapped inside.
FRNSW Duty Commander, Kernin Lambert, said firefighters “encountered inferno like conditions due to the fiercely burning fire”.
“The structure contained tightly packed materials from floor to ceiling, greatly increasing the fires intensity and severely hindering the ability of firefighters to carry out the rescue,” he said. “Firefighters worked in conditions of absolute zero visibility, the heat within the building was intense. Hidden fire was beginning to spread rapidly, beyond the reach of the fighting hose streams.
“The building contained a number of internal walls formed of double sheeted corrugated iron, creating an internal maze of dead end pathways. At one point, fire commanders asked one of the occupants to help draw a plan of the building, detailing the various rooms, passage ways, walls and doors to help find their way through the building and locate the missing person.
“At the height of the fire, the internal steel walls were glowing red hot and the roof structure was beginning to collapse. Firefighters used forcible entry tools to force their way through the internal iron walls to locate the missing occupant. Despite their most determined efforts, this person could not be saved.”
Crews were supported by Rylstone and Clandulla RFS, and paramedics who had to treat several firefighters.
“Very few things went in favour of our firefighters at this fire and many dangers and enormous difficulties were present. Despite the significant challenges that confronted firefighters they fought the fire with courage, determination and resilience,” Insp Lambert said.
“This was one of the toughest firefighting operations I have ever experienced in my career at a residential building; As the officer in charge of firefighting operations at Kandos, I can only reflect with the highest levels of admiration for the men and women who placed their own safety second to a member of the community who was missing and needed to be rescued.”
Fire Investigation and Police forensics crime scene examiners are still investigating the cause, which is not considered suspicious.