Guildford: Man dies after fatal house fire in Sydney’s west

A detonated e-bike charger was found inside a house with no smoke alarms following a fatal fire that claimed the life of a young, “kind” man in Sydney’s west. See the damage.

A Pakistani national and Uber delivery driver has died after fire tore through a home in Sydney’s west, as authorities say a lithium-ion battery charger is at the centre of an investigation into the cause of the blaze.

Civil and construction engineering student Haider Ali, 21, was killed in the blaze at Rowley Rd at Guildford shortly before 5am on Tuesday when fire spread in one of the locked bedrooms of the rental house, which did not have any smoke alarms.

NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Adam Dewberry said an e-bike was outside the property but the battery could have been charging inside the bedroom at the time.

“The battery has definitely been exposed to fire and has gone into thermal runaway (overcharging) because there has been some detonation out of it … you can see where that battery has failed,’’ he said.

“We know that batteries – even if they haven’t caused the fire – do add to the intensity of the fire and the rapid fire spread significantly and the extreme toxic smoke.’’

Haider Ali (right) with a friend.

Mr Ali died in a locked bedroom.

If the charger was the cause of the blaze it would be the 15th fire related to lithium-ion batteries in just 16 days.

Crews arrived to find flames and worked quickly to extinguish the blaze, which caused extensive damage to the property.

Five occupants managed to escape after suffering smoke inhalation but Mr Ali was found inside the home, after firefighters battled “hot, sooty smoke”, and could not be revived.

Paramedics treated him but he died at the scene.

Supt Dewberry said smoke alarms could have averted a tragedy at the house.

“It’s a rental property and it’s unfortunate that there’s no working smoke alarms in here – we could have been talking about a very different situation if they were fitted,” he said.

“Needless to say we have a tragedy this morning.’’

Fire and Rescue crews are working to determine the cause of the blaze.

The fire-ravaged bedroom where Mr Ali was sleeping. Picture: Fire and Rescue NSW

A NSW Police spokesman said the absence of alarms would form part of the coronial report.

It is understood 10 people lived in the three-bedroom house but worked different shifts and were coming and going.

An acquittance of Mr Ali, Waseem Gondal, described Mr Ali as a friendly person who worked at a spice mixing factory in Auburn along with being an Uber Eats delivery driver.

“He often came to our house,’’ he said.

“He was often a very humble and a very nice person. He was nice to us, very kind.’’

Mr Ali was the eldest of three children and had no family in Australia where he moved two years ago.

Neighbour Colleen Elcham was woken by the terrifying sound of explosions and called emergency services at 4.55am.

“I heard explosions and I was just like ‘what’s going on?” she said.

“My dining area was all lit from the flames and I looked through the window and saw their room was all lit.’’

The blaze in the home. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

A firefighter surveys the damage in the bedroom.

She heard a firefighter “scream for the paramedics” when they saw the victim was in the bedroom.

On Tuesday morning, Miss Elcham ordered food for the victim’s shattered friends who gathered on the street opposite the weatherboard home.

Colleen Elcham hands out pizzas for the victim’s friends.

“They’ve broken my heart,’’ she said.

“I didn’t get a chance to form a relationship.’’

Pakistan Association of Australia president Hamid Saroha visited Mr Ali’s housemates and friends as they gathered outside the high school across the road on Tuesday morning “to look after these boys, to give them courage, strength and moral support and any legal support’’.

He was shocked to learn there were no smoke alarms in the house.

Police seize a e-bike after a house fire at Guildford.

“These are the authority’s jobs to make sure all the properties in Australia, they must have smoke alarms otherwise deaths will continue and we will see these deaths all the time,’’ he said.

Cumberland established a crime scene, and an investigation is under way into the circumstances surrounding the fire.

Detectives seized the e-bike for examination at noon and Supt Dewberry updated Mr Ali’s friends of the situation, saying power had been cut off in the house.

When asked about the state of Mr Ali’s body, Supt Dewberry replied: “It’s not good, it’s not good.’’

Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry talks to friends of Haider Ali after the fatality.

Supt Dewberry said the number of lithium battery fires was frustrating and it was occurring almost daily.

He urged people not to charge batteries overnight, not to charge the devices in their bedrooms or living areas, and to always buy reputable brands, and purcahse and repair them from a bike shop or retailer.

Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell emphasised the importance of education and awareness programs about the potential dangers of lithium batteries.

“This is exactly the tragic outcome that we were hoping to avoid,” he said.

“Our thoughts are very much with the young man’s family and his housemates at this time.

“We’ve seen an increase in the number of incidents in recent weeks but the risk of fatal outcomes remains ever present.

“It’s something we will be continuing to focus on, and needing the community’s support to put in place the advice we’re providing to them to be as safe as possible.”

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.

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