Firefighters save two people in dramatic rescue from North Sydney house fire

The owner of a North Sydney home engulfed in flames last night said he has been left “devastated” by the aftermath. The man has revealed how the incident unfolded and how he has been left “homeless.”

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Exclusive: The owner of a North Sydney home engulfed in flames last night said he has been left “devastated” by the incident.

Xiao Wei, who grew up living in the heritage listed home for more than a decade, was visiting his dad and grandfather in Parramatta when he got the frantic phone call from his housemate.

“It’s terrible … my friends called me up saying the house is burnt. They said it started at the front of the house, but luckily there’s an extension at the back of the house which wasn’t burnt down,” Mr Wei said.

“We are homeless now, we need to find a place to live in. I do have insurance but don’t know to what extent it covers it.

“I have to break the news now to my mum who used to live with me and my sister until they moved out a year ago … there are a lot of memories here.”

There were five other people living in the house with Mr Wei, including a man and woman who were living in the extension part of the house.

The North Sydney home was gutted by fire.

Fire crews on the scene in Ormiston Avenue on Sunday night. Picture: James D Morgan/Getty

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Overnight, firefighters kicked down the front door of the burning house to rescue two people who were trapped by the searing wall of flame in a dramatic rescue operation.

The drama unfolded shortly after 6pm in Ormiston Ave after a number of reports to Triple triple-0 of a fire in a house.

The first fire fighters on the scene were told there were five residents who lived in the building who hadn’t been accounted for as flames rapidly took hold and fully engulfed the small historical weatherboard cottage.

Officers with breathing apparatus quickly smashed their way into the burning home through the front door and found two people trapped in the small backyard which was seriously affected by smoke.

A ladder was placed over the back fence to safely evacuate the two trapped residents.

Firefighters continued to search the burning building until the fire took hold in the roof and they were evacuated for their own safety.

Police interview witnesses at the scene of the house fire in North Sydney. Picture: Matrix Media

Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Bryce Jonas said 50 fire fighters and nine fire trucks including a specialist ladder truck were called to the street in a bid to contain the fire and stop it spreading to closely adjoining houses.

He said fire fighters attempting to get their trucks and equipment to the seat of the blaze were hampered by steep terrain and the narrowness of the street.

All residents of the house were safely accounted for. Picture: Matrix

People comfort a dog at the scene of the fire on Sunday night. Picture: Matrix

It took 90 minutes to fully extinguish the fire as nervous neighbours watched on in fear of the blaze spreading to other homes closely adjoining the property.

All residents of the building were safely accounted for.

The building was totally destroyed.

Police have established a crime scene at the house and specialist forensic officers will investigate the cause of the blaze on Monday morning.