South Grafton home burns down with woman and child lucky to escape

A three-year-old boy was in the loungeroom, where the fire is believed to have started in the South Grafton home. See the photos.

A working smoke alarm has potentially saved the lives of a mother and her toddler son, who escaped a house fire at Grafton this morning.

A distress call was made to Fire and Rescue NSW just after 10.30 and the South Grafton home on Melaleuca Way was completely engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

FRNSW understands a three-year-old boy had been in the lounge room, where it’s believed the fire may have started.

His 50-year-old mother was in a different room and alerted to the incident by a smoke alarm.

The South Grafton home was destroyed by fire. Picture: Fire and Rescue NSW

The pair made it outside with moments to spare.

They were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to hospital.

The fire was controlled by 11am, with crews from Grafton and South Grafton attending - and the house was extensively damaged.

The fire took hold in minutes. Picture: Fire and Rescue NSW

An investigation is underway into the cause.

FRNSW superintendent Adam Dewberry said the incident was a timely reminder to have at least one working smoke alarm installed on every level of your home - as that is the law.

He said the risk of a fatality in the home is halved when there is a working smoke alarm in place.

“A fire can take hold in just three minutes, so it is vital to have working smoke alarms in your home and to test them regularly,” he said.

Firefighters on scene. Picture: Fire and Rescue NSW

A spokesperson for Fire and Rescue said there had been 16 house fire fatalities this winter compared to four for the same period last year.

“It only takes three minutes for a fire to take hold in your home,” the spokesperson said.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said of the 897 residential fires this winter, around 45 per cent didn’t have active smoke alarms and 20 per cent of homes had no smoke alarms.