An elderly couple have lost their house after a fire started at the rear of their property on Tuesday

A Gawler couple have lost their house to fire but the catastrophe could have been a tragedy without the actions of two heroic passers by.

An elderly couple have lost their house just weeks from Christmas, after a fire started in the rear of their property on Tuesday afternoon.

Just before 1pm MFS were alerted by multiple triple-0 callers regarding a house fire Twenty First Street in Gawler.

The Gawler South property. Picture: Jason Katsaras

The house, which belongs to an elderly couple, has been destroyed with damage estimated at about $250,000.

Nearby resident Sean Golding said he and his friend Andy Nailer were happy to have helped.

“The flames were like 20 feet in the air, we started to see it lighting up this [neighbouring] house, the wind direction changed and I said, we’re going in mate.”

“We jumped in to see if there was anyone in the house, when we got out a lady said there’s two dogs in there so we went back in this time with a fire extinguisher.”

Mr Golding said that after first using a blanket to put out the beginnings of a fire at the second house, the fire extinguisher allowed him to fully extinguish the blaze.

A house has been destroyed at Gawler South, while two passers by helped to contain the blaze from the neighbouring property, and retrieve two dogs. Picture Jason Katsaras

The first dog Choccy who is blind and deaf was retrieved by the two men with the second white dog ‘PK’ found unharmed in the backyard after crews arrived.

A MFS spokeswoman said around 30 crew members across six fire trucks attended the scene to find the house full alight.

“Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control in under 30 minutes and fortunately stopped it spreading to neighbouring properties,” said the spokeswoman.

“No one was inside the property and no injuries were reported.”

The fire cause is currently undetermined.