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Updated ,first published
Two bodies have been found in a Hawkesbury home destroyed by a fierce blaze on Monday morning, hours after five people were hospitalised with injuries from the fire.
Two people inside the home were reported missing after failing to escape the blaze that engulfed the two-storey brick house on Lieutenant Bowen Drive in Bowen Mountain at 2.10am on Monday.
Emergency responders discovered the two bodies, believed to be those of the people unaccounted for, in searches that began after the fire was contained at 4am.
A man and four children escaped the home before it was destroyed, and were hospitalised for smoke inhalation and burns treatment. Police have established a crime scene at the home, and are working to formally identify the bodies.
More than 50 firefighters faced a “very overwhelming situation” when they arrived to find flames tearing through the home. The fire raged for almost two hours and collapsed the roof and other internal structures. An early assessment suggested the walls could also collapse, prompting emergency responders to retreat from the site to protect themselves.
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Trent Curtin said parts of the house were still smouldering at 8am, and that drones and dogs would be deployed to assist with rescue efforts.
Lieutenant Bowen Drive is a long residential street with homes on its western side directly bordering the Blue Mountains.
RFS Superintendent Jonathon Hill, one of the first firefighters on the scene, said the initial decision to retreat from the home was “incredibly tough”. He said “words can’t really describe” the difficulty of the morning.
“It’s a situation that you really can’t comprehend until you’re in it,” Hill said. “We want to help the community, we do our best. And again, there’s a human side of this that you can’t always explain.”
The fire has caused no damage to neighbouring homes.
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Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously helmed the national news live blog for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners
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