Fifteen year old hailed a 'hero' after saving baby brother from Manilla housefire, as community rallies behind Hirst family

Just the two boys were left at home when Katie drove husband Josh Hirst to work mustering at a nearby property.

Baby Elijah Hirst was asleep when the house caught fire.

Michael Hirst saved his life, rescuing him for his flames. He also went back into the blaze to rescue puppies.

READ MORE:

"He's a real hero to be honest, if it wasn't for him..." said Josh Hirst.

"We just kind of burst into tears when we got home and saw our little boy alright, because we couldn't get onto to anyone to let us know that he was alright.

"All we knew was there was one of our sons next door and when you only know there's one there and you know you've got two. It was a 15 minute drive home that felt like 15 hours.

"If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have our two-year-old, I don't think."

With his mobile phone wrecked in the flames, in shock, and with burns, Michael ran a kilometre to a neighbour's property to call for help.

It was too late for the house.

The house was fully ablaze by the time the Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue arrived at about 9am, despite a rapid response time.

The dwelling was extensively damaged.

Dad, Josh, said the extraordinary community of Manilla leapt into action even before the flames were cool.

Half-a-dozen neighbours, including a passing crew from Tomcat Electrical, rushed to help the firefighting efforts.

"We had some people, they're crawling on decks that are on fire looking for little puppies. It's just crazy to think the care people have," he said.

Neighbour and Hart Rural Manager, Jacob Hawley, was one of them.

In the hours since the fire consumed the house, he helped set up drop-off points for an enormous outpouring of charity from hundreds of residents and businesses in Manilla. There are now caches in Tamworth, Manilla and Barraba.

Mr Hawley said he had three pallet loads of clothes and food already stockpiled at his business - but he was barely even surprised at the intensity of the giving.

"It's hard to keep up at the moment with people wanting to drop stuff in," he said.

Want more local news? Subscribe to the Leader to read it here first

"Any sort of rural community, people always stick together and help someone in need, that's what happens in a small country town. There's probably a couple more messages than what I probably thought would happen straightaway.

"Pretty much every business in town has come forward with vouchers and donations."

Mr Hirst said the community aid is vital during the region's coronavirus lockdown, because most Manilla shops are closed, even for basics like clothes and a toothbrush.

"Baby photos, everything in your whole life is burned to a crisp, it hasn't really hit home yet," he said.

"We literally got the kid's pajamas and that's all they came out with."

Support the local news that keeps you informed - subscribe today.

Tonight the family will sleep at the home of a friend, Martin Edwards - though several other people and even a motel offered free lodging.

He was full of gratitude for the help of his community, which he said was a light on an extraordinarily dark day.

"The town of Manilla, you don't realise how strong everybody is together until something like this happens. That's the main thing, I want to say thankyou to everyone," he said.

"I don't even know half these people and they're reaching out.

"It's very humbling."

A spokesperson for the RFS said the service had dispatched five trucks to the house, with help from Fire and Rescue NSW crews from Barraba and Manilla. Police, ambulance and Essential Energy crews also helped the firefighting effort.

Have your say, send a letter to the editor.

Firefighters were unable to save the main house, which collapsed on itself after the roof fell in, but did manage to save a nearby granny flat, with firefighters removing burning insulation from the structure. The secondary building sustained smoke damage and minor fire damage.

The RFS left the scene after managing the aftermath of the blaze at about 5pm on Wednesday night.

The fire is not being treated as suspicious.

Investigations continue.

People can do contactless drop off onto pallets at the Hart Rural every day this week and can make donations at a Go Fund me set up for the family, which has already raised $1,345.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: