Doonside fire: Elizabeth Smith describes Perigee Close blaze

A western Sydney grandmother has told how her family has “lost everything” in a ferocious fire which engulfed their home.

A heroic grandmother was lucky to escape without injury after rescuing her young grandchildren as a fire engulfed their home in Sydney’s west.

Elizabeth Smith was asleep in the Doonside home with her daughter and three grandkids when the blaze broke out just before 8.30am on Wednesday.

Ms Smith was woken by neighbours shouting “fire” when she helped two of her grandchildren escape through their bedroom window.

Grandmother Elizabeth Smith was lucky to escape the fire without injury. Picture: Kate Lockley

The mother and third grandchild, who were sleeping in another room, managed to escape through the door.

Ms Smith said a neighbour assisted her to safety as she came up against a “red wall of flames” while she tried to salvage their personal belongings.

Close to 30 firefighters were called in to tackle the blaze at the Perigee Cl property.

By the time emergency crews arrived at the scene, they were met by an intense fire, with large plumes of smoke and flames billowing from the roof of the home.

The charred remains of the Perigee Cl home in Doonside. Picture: Kate Lockley

Firefighters worked for an hour to contain the blaze, but sadly, the house was destroyed.

Ms Smith’s daughter and three grandchildren, aged six, three and two, were treated for smoke inhalation and were taken to Mt Druitt Hospital. They have since been discharged.

The remains of the destroyed Doonside home. Picture: NSW Fire and Rescue

Holding back tears on Tuesday afternoon, Ms Smith said the fire was the second fire tragedy the family had overcome since last year.

“We have only just recovered from the last trauma after a fire at my mother’s home last year,” she said.

“We lost everything and now we will have to start again.”

Ms Smith said the family had fled the home with only the clothes on their backs.

“My daughter didn’t even have shoes on,” she said.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.