A house fire prompted four occupants of 4 Short Street Harden to make a swift escape in the early hours of Saturday morning.
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An occupant rescued a small baby from the front room after hearing popping noises and finding a mattress on fire. The person alerted others of the threat and they who fled the house.
Afterwards they were taken via ambulance to Harden Hospital for assessment, and one of the occupants, a 52-year-old man, was airlifted to the Royal North Shore Hospital.
The man is being treated for smoke inhalation and burns to the arm and face.
Fire crew including Harden station commander Wal Leonow arrived to find the house engulfed in flames at 12.48am, and they worked to control the fire and protect surrounding properties.
“Crews battled the fire for an hour or two before died down, and by then the house was destroyed,” Mr Leonow said.
His crew was assisted by the Young Fire and Rescue service the Harden Rural Fire Service.
Short Street was closed until they had controlled the blaze at 3.16am.
A police investigation revealed the front room of the house caught alight due to a bar heater which was positioned in close proximity to a mattress.
A neighbouring house was also damaged in the fire.