A family has made a narrow escape as fire consumed their 10-bedroom home after it burst into flames during a wild storm north-west of Sydney.
Locals say a freak lightning strike may have sparked the huge inferno which completely ravaged the rural property in Glenorie on Wednesday night.
The blaze broke out about 7.30pm and it took 70 firefighters several hours to extinguish the flames, helped by a storm later in the night which delivered some rain.
Crews were still on the scene at Cattai Ridge Road around midnight.
Footage shows bright orange flames consuming sections of the roof and licking the night sky.
Thick smoke can be seen billowing from the one-storey building about 44km north-west of the Sydney CBD.
Matthew Lloyd, from the NSW RFS, told media the sprawling property’s roof collapsed as crews were working and the fire was burning “quite hot”.
“It was a fairly significant fire that extended throughout the roof cavity,” he told 9News.
“So unfortunately, despite the good work…it’s probably a total loss.”
The family of seven made a narrow escape and scrambled to safety without injury as locals in the tightknit Hills District raced to help.
Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Police Force and NSW Ambulance crews were all on scene.
Detectives and specialist fire investigators will look into the tragedy and may consider the possibility of a lightning strike as the cause.
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