Man, 19, dies after collapsing inside his home as it burned as neighbours recall his ‘really loud’ screams
- A young man has died after a fire was sparked in the early hours of the morning
- Fire crews said it could have been burning for sometime before he woke up
- The man, 19, collapsed when trying to escape and wasn’t able to be revived
A 19-year-old man has died in a horrific blaze that saw the man collapse just metres from the door as he made a desperate attempt to escape.
The fire started early in the morning at a house in Cabramatta West, Sydney’s South-West and neighbours said they heard ‘really loud’ screaming before emergency services arrived.
Smoke and fire poured from the windows and roof before fire crews broke in and dragged the man out. They performed CPR but were unable to revive him.
Neighbour Cassandra Aiono said she heard the man screaming shortly before he collapsed
‘It was just one man screaming really loudly,’ neighbour Cassandra Aiono told The Sunday Telegraph.
The man, who neighbours described as of Cambodian appearance, has now been formally identified and authorities are now informing his family of the death.
From the initial inspection fire crews said the blaze caused extensive damage to the lounge room, laundry and kitchen area but the house remained largely untouched.
Danni-Maree Giles, 23, said her mother previously lived in the public housing home but was forced to leave after taking in too many squatters.
‘There were five or six people coming and going and we could not get rid of them so we just had to get my mother out,’ Ms Giles said.
Danni-Maree Giles, 23, said her mother previously lived in the public housing home (pictured) but was forced to leave after taking in too many squatters
‘They are all homeless and mum felt sorry for them – but they took over the house.’
‘It’s unfortunate that it’s happened and it’s just heart breaking… I can’t believe it,’ neighbour Rose Mokhtal told Nine News.
She said the man’s death had left the children on the street ‘devastated’, and described him as ‘friendly and kind’.
The cause of the fire has been deemed as not suspicious but police are still unsure of exactly how the blaze began.
Parramatta duty commander Inspector Craig Davies told reporters the small fire may have slowly burned throughout the morning.
‘There are holes in the floor as well, so the fire had been burning for quite some time before anyone had noticed,’ Mr Davies said.
‘It’s unfortunate that it’s happened and it’s just heartbreaking, I can’t believe it,’ neighbour Rose Mokhtal said