Doonside house fire: Family prays for recovery of Miata Kbaba, 9

THE family of nine-year-old girl Miata Kbaba, severely burned in a Doonside house fire on Saturday morning, are “praying she will wake up”.

A house fire that began this morning in Doonside left one child in The Children’s Hospital at Westmead while the rest of the family escaped unharmed.

THE family of a nine-year-old girl severely burned in a Doonside house fire are “praying she will wake up”.

Miata Kbaba remained in a critical condition in The Children’s Hospital at Westmead last night with burns all over her face and body after the family home caught fire at the weekend.

“We are normally a happy family but we are not smiling any more until our daughter wakes up again,” her father Justin Kollie said.

“We are praying for her, we are praying she will wake up.”

Mr Kollie yesterday described waking to find his house engulfed in flames while his five daughters slept on Saturday morning.

His wife Mary Kbaba got four of their daughters out while he went to search for Miata, who has autism.

“I woke up and there’s fire everywhere and we can’t get out, there’s no way for us get out of the house, we just have to get to the window.”

Mr Kbaba described his worry as smoke quickly filled his home as the heat and the roar of the flames intensified.

“We couldn’t see anyone, you couldn’t hear anything (else),” he said. “I could hear her screaming. I didn’t think I would live that long.”

There is some confusion as to who actually rescued the girl from the burning building.

Mr Kollie, who is a refugee from Liberia, said he used all his strength to get Miata to the front window of the house.

He was on his last breath and rolled out of the window.

He said his wife then bravely jumped in and pulled their daughter out after him.

However, neighbour Vai Ngaro has also been credited with braving the raging fire to drag the young girl to safety.

Firefighters attended the house fire.

He bravely ran inside the burning home, on Hill End Rd, when he realised the little girl was still trapped.

“They were all outside screaming and I asked them if anyone was inside and they said the girl was inside the house,” he said.

“I went in and I couldn’t see anything, it was full of smoke.

“I put her over my shoulder and dragged her out of the window.”

The house had severe damage and will likely be torn down as a result of the fire

Mr Ngaro said the little girl was conscious, but was severely burned on her face and body.

She was taken by ambulance to Westmead Hospital where she remains in a critical condition.

Her four siblings and two parents were all treated for smoke inhalation, but have since been released.

Mr Ngaro said he knew he was risking his life entering the house and was almost overcome by smoke inhalation.

“I nearly collapsed on the footpath because of the smoke,” he said.

His wife Kasey said she feared he would not come out alive.

“I was worried. I thought what’s going to happen to him what am I going to do?,” she said.

“But I’m happy he saved a little girl’s life. That’s the most important thing.”

The house, which the family had been renting, had severe damage and will likely be torn down as a result of the fire.

NSW Fire Service Inspector Tom Clarkstone said firefighters spent 40 minutes controlling the blaze and were lucky to have prevented it from spreading to neighbouring homes.

“It was confined to the structure of origin and the rear of the house suffered the most damage,” he said.

“It was too dangerous for us to go in, so we had to attack from outside.”

Fire investigators are still working to determine the cause of the blaze.