Quick-thinking neighbours heroically rescue Perth family from ‘scary’ blaze

“He was able to, with bare feet, run outside and grab Xavier’s wheelchair, which had … caught on fire a little bit,” mum Holly recalled.  

Heroic neighbours have rescued a family trapped inside their Perth home after an enormous blaze engulfed the property.

At 6pm on Tuesday evening, a series of loud explosions came from the Joondanna home, a fire quickly bursting in the townhouse. 

Trapped inside was a dad and their three teen children, one of whom lives with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. 

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It's believed Xavier's oxygen tanks caused the explosion. Picture: 9News

Explosions rock small Perth suburb

The teenage son Xavier, who is wheelchair-bound, was asleep in the house with his father when the explosion occurred, likely sparking from the teen’s oxygen tanks. 

The sound could be heard from kilometres away, prompting a barefoot neighbour to jump into action to rescue those trapped inside the house. 

“The son who's got health issues is on oxygen sometimes so the tanks is what caused the explosions,” a neighbour told 9News. 

“That's what caused all the windows to blow out.” 

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The family’s mum, Holly, was on her way home when she saw smoke billowing from the top of the building. 

“It was really scary,” she told reporters. 

One of the neighbours rushed to the scene, helping Xavier’s dad rescue his son from the burning house. 

“He was able to, with bare feet, run outside and grab Xavier’s wheelchair, which had … caught on fire a little bit, just grab that and threw him in the chair,” she recalled.

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The fire destroyed everything in the house. Picture: 9News

“It was so quick, we can't even imagine what happened”

Nearby residents were horrified by the blaze, worried that fire would jump to neighbouring proeporties and continue to spread. 

One local, who lives in the adjoining unit, was terrified their home could be next. 

“It was so quick, we can't even imagine what happened,” she said. “We had to run, we only took our kids.” 

While everyone inside the house was able to be rescued and taken to safety, the family tragically lost all their belongings. 

Xavier’s medical equipment was also destroyed in the fire. 

In a devastating update, they learned their beloved pet cat tragically died during the blaze. 

Police are currently investigating the cause of the fire, but it’s believed it was caused by Xavier’s oxygen tanks.

Originally published as Quick-thinking neighbours heroically rescue Perth family from ‘scary’ blaze