Volunteer rural firefighters lose Woodford home in devastating fire

Darren Bayliss has volunteered as a rural firefighter for 30 years and his wife Belinda is the president of local Rural Fire Brigade. The couple experienced the devastation they have saved others from over the years when their house of 22 years burned down.

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The Bayliss family have fought fires for decades but last Saturday they lost everything they owned in a blaze.

On a windy night an electrical fire gutted their home of 22 years.

Belinda and Darren were having dinner at a friend’s place when they received a call telling them their house was on fire.

Darren and Belinda Bayliss and their children Tarleigha, 17, and Laithen, 12, look over the ruins of their Woodford home. Picture: Toby Zerna

“When we got there it was well alight, there was nothing we could do,” Ms Bayliss said.

“We lost everything, we didn’t have any clothes, didn’t take any photos, we had nothing.

“But that night a friend had already packed a bag of her clothes, her husband’s clothes and clothes for the kids.”

Since the fire on August 10, the Blue Mountains community has raised $17,000 for the family of four through a GoFundMe account.

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Donations to a family who has donated so much over the years.

The Bayliss family lost everything in the blaze. Picture: Toby Zerna

The fire gutted the Woodford home. Picture: Toby Zerna

Dad Darren has volunteered as a rural firefighter for 30 years and Belinda is the president of the Faulconbridge Rural Fire Brigade.

“I have had to deal with people who have lost their homes before but I never knew how it felt,” she said.

“It just doesn’t feel real. I know it has happened, but it’s just not real.”

Ms Bayliss said the family had home and contents insurance but was “very” underinsured.

“If I can teach anyone anything from this it is to check your contents insurance is up to date,” she said.

“We have insurance but it barely covers what we actually had.”

The Bayliss family lost their house and its contents. Picture: Toby Zerna

Ms Bayliss said after living in the same home for 22 years they hadn’t increased their contents insurance to match what they really had inside the house.

“Now I would set aside more money each year to increase the amount of contents insurance we had,” she said.

“After we sort our insurance out we will still have to spend a lot of money to replace everything.”

The family cat and rabbit managed to survive the house fire.

Originally published as Volunteer rural firefighters lose Woodford home in devastating fire