Mum of nine files to NCAT for $15,000 compensation after devastating house fire

A mother-of-nine has sought compensation after a series of fires destroyed her family’s Sydney southwest rental home despite her raising issues with a real estate agency months before the blazes.

One of the blazes at Macquarie Fields house.

A family of 11 whose double-storey house was destroyed after a series of fires in May – despite concerns raised about wiring issues home with the real estate agent months before the blazes – is seeking compensation with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Mum Montana Samphier launched an NCAT case against her landlord after her family, including nine children aged three to 15 were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs after three separate blazes ripped through their Groundsel Ave rental property at Macquarie Fields.

Ms Samphier said she first emailed property managers from OneAgency Macquarie Fields in December, detailing several issues with the built-in airconditioning units, including the one in the living room that caused power to trip in the house. She also requestedrepair works.

She said the real estate agency failed to respond or action her request, which prompted Ms Samphier to make several phone calls to follow up on the problems before the external unit for the living room airconditioner caught fire on Saturday, May 18.

The external airconditioning unit that caught fire on May 18. Picture: Montana Samphier

“I was able to put out the first fire myself before fireys arrived, and then I emailed the real estate with photos … and asked for someone to come out. No one did,” Ms Samphier said.

An agent from OneAgency Macquarie Fields confirmed a response was sent the following Monday to say staff would pass the information on to the landlord and called him that same day, but was unable to confirm if any further action was taken.

A report from Fire Rescue NSW officers confirmed the incident was an electrical fire caused by the “very old” airconditioning unit burning the wiring.

The report also stated the smoke alarms were “defective” and new ones were installed.

“My boyfriend asked them to check the fire alarms and they found them all dead with the batteries corroded, and we’d only been living there for 11 months,” Ms Samphier said.

Just 10 days later two consecutive fires just hours apart on May 28 broke out – engulfing the home and destroying their possessions.

“I just don’t know how I got the kids out, I really don’t know. We could’ve died,” Ms Samphier said.

Montana Samphier. Picture: Facebook

“We’ve lost so many memories, the kids have lost all their special things,” she said, describing that night as an “an absolute nightmare”.

The first fire on May 28 broke out about 2am, forcing the family to evacuate while firefighters battled the blaze that ruined 80 per cent of the home.

The family moved to the granny flat after the flames were put out, but just four hours later a second fire erupted in the main house.

“My 15-year-old daughter heard crackling noises and saw smoke billowing from the granny flat. I grabbed the kids and we just ran across the road,” Ms Samphier said.

“I yelled ‘there’s a fire!’ and we had to grab all the kids and get out again,” she said.

The fire gutted the house on May 28. Picture: Montana Samphier

The family fled their home for the second time that day, left stranded while they watched the flames engulf the property and burn their possessions.

A fire report from the first blaze that day identified the incident as another electrical fire originating from the living room, this time caused by a power board and charger plugged into the outlet.

Fire Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said while the living room on May 18 and May 28 had been put down to electrical faults, there was not enough information to link the two fires and “therefore cannot rule out coincidental events’’.

Ms Samphier said if the agent had sent someone out after the first fire the full extent of the damage could have been determined and identified any potential safety risks.

“I just keep feeling like if maybe I had pushed them harder on it, none of this would’ve happened,” Ms Samphier said.

Ms Samphier’s NCAT case against her landlord seeks $15,000 in compensation to recover costs from the fire and is scheduled for July 4.

One Agency Macquarie Fields declined to respond to requests for comment.

Ms Samphier said she was very grateful to the community and businesses for coming together to support her family, which she said had secured a place to stay after spending a month at temporary accommodations.