Couple saved as house burns

AN elderly couple were unaware a fire was raging in the rear and roof of their home when neighbours came to their rescue.

The fire at Rowella Rd in Sidmouth was reported at 8.21am yesterday and volunteer brigades from Kelso, Beaconsfield and Gravelly Beach extinguished the blaze.

The weatherboard building — more than a century old and home to the couple for 25 years — was completely destroyed.

The Tasmania Fire Service estimated the damage and loss to be about $300,000.

It is believed the home was uninsured. Investigators are hoping to speak with the elderly male owner of the home before determining a cause, but he was still being treated in hospital yesterday afternoon.

A police spokesman said there were no serious injuries from the fire.

Richard Goss, who was house sitting at a property nearby, said it was lucky he and his partner noticed smoke coming from the house before they left for work. “We came out and saw smoke and thought it was a bit strange that it was that close to the house,” he said.

“We walked down through the paddock and realised it was coming up out through the roof and flames were coming out the back.”

Mr Goss is fourth officer at the Gravelly Beach Fire Brigade and said his “fire brigade instinct kicked in”.

He reported the fire, found a water supply, disconnected power to the house and “made sure everybody was out”.

He said a truck driver and another neighbour arrived at the house about the same time as him and went into the home to alert the residents.

“[The residents] didn’t have a clue what was going on,” Mr Goss said. “It was the back part of the house that was actually on fire.”

Mr Goss said an elderly woman, who was confined to a wheelchair, needed help to escape.

He said the house “went up a lot quicker” than most houses, due to its age and predominantly timber construction.

When emergency services arrived, Mr Goss put on a structural fire fighting suit himself and entered the home to fight the fire.

“There’s a lot of damage. There’ll be nothing left,” he said.

A neighbour who entered the home to help the occupants escape wished not to be named, but said he believed the fire started in the ceiling at the back of the home.

Exeter Constable Alex Long attended the scene and said the occupants were taken to the Launceston General Hospital by ambulance.

“At this stage we believe it’s just a precaution,” he said.

He said the fire was a timely reminder for the public to check the batteries in their fire alarms and make sure they are up to date.