Tamworth fire victims grateful to selfless neighbours

Resident Neville Newfong said he was grateful to the people who probably saved their lives on the first day of 2019.

The smell of smoke roused him and his girlfriend about noon; they realised what was unfolding outside and alerted his sister Alicia.

A Fire & Rescue spokesman wasn’t able to say yesterday what had caused the fire.

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People nearby – including one or two ex-firefighters – bucketed water onto the blaze before Fire & Rescue personnel arrived within minutes to take over.

“We would have been gone,” Mr Newfong said.

“If the neighbours weren’t here, it would have been too late: it would have taken off.

“I couldn’t stop thanking them enough.”

Among the helpers were painter Jaryd Stevens and his boss Janelle Renshaw, who’d been working across the road and raced over to pitch in.

Mr Stevens said he thought the occupants had been “very, very lucky”.

“The flames were coming up over the roof … making their way into the eaves and under the house,” he said.

“I reckon probably two more minutes without anyone noticing and the house would have gone up …

“I’m just happy they’re all safe and no one was hurt.

“It could have been a lot worse.”

Mr Newfong said that, luckily, there was no damage inside, “unless you count your lungs”.

“The house has a burnt plastic smell in it … and I have really bad asthma, so I’m constantly on the puffer at the moment,” he said.