A homeowner clad in just his budgie smugglers said he feared he was going to die when his house went up in flames from a suspected firebomber.
Scott Wagemaker’s house in Condell Park in Sydney’s south west was engulfed in flames early on Thursday morning as he and his two housemates slept.
He tried dousing the flames with the garden hose until firefighters arrived to protect his most prized possession – his late mother’s ashes.
Three housemates escaped a blazing inferno, as police are investigating whether the home was firebombed (pictured is Scott Wagemaker talking to firefighters)
Footage shows Mr Wagemaker, 47, battling the blaze at 3am which destroyed his home as he fears two gas bottles will explode, Nine News reports.
He rushed out of the property in just his undies in an attempt to save his property – which was uninsured – but has vowed to come after the person he believes to be responsible.
‘I’ve got a bloke who doesn’t like me and he’s f****** firebombed my place.
‘I found my lounge alight and saw the bloke there again and he had something in his hand and threw something on top of the flames.
‘I was yelling fire, fire, fire. I thought we were going to die.’
After losing everything and only having his undies on, firefighters gave Mr Wagemaker a T-shirt
Mr Wagemaker’s housemates were also forced to escape with one jumping out of a window
But he was unable to save his mum’s ashes which were resting by the front door.
‘I was hosing it, I was so close to it and I got burned.
‘It was an old housemate, he’s broken the place before. Hand yourself in to the police because we’re coming after you.’
Mr Wagemaker’s two housemates were also forced to escape with one jumping out of an upstairs window to get away from the inferno.
But he has come away still smiling after sharing a joke with the firies who donated a T-shirt when all he was left with were his tight blue pants.
Clad only in his blue budgie smugglers, Mr Wagemaker battles to save his mother’s ashes from being destroyed by the fire
Police are investigating whether the home was firebombed.
A suntanned hero with slicked-back blonde hair dressed in nothing but a tiny pair of underwear chased off a suspected arsonist before saving two others asleep inside.
The townhouse in Condell Park in Sydney’s south-west was destroyed in fire described by police as ‘suspicious’, which broke out about 3am on Thursday.
A resident woke to the sounds of glass breaking, and helped the other tenants to flee by smashing a window at the back of the Mitchell Street house.
Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control, and police are investigating whether the home was firebombed.
Scott Wagemaker reviews the damage of his home in south west Sydney which he believes was deliberately targeted
A witness said they believe the fire was started by a molotov cocktail, Nine News reported.
The male resident who broke the window to enable the escape told police he found another man on the property, who fled before the occupants left the burning home.
Police said a dark-coloured hatchback was seen driving away on nearby Leemon Street shortly after the ‘suspicious’ fire broke out.
The townhouse in Condell Park in Sydney’s south-west was destroyed in the fire, which broke out about 3am on Thursday (pictured are residents talking to emergency services)
One relaxed resident – believed to be the man who broke a window to enable the escape – was seen outside wearing nothing but a pair of budgie smugglers.
An occupant of the house was treated for minor cuts to their arm, while another needed treatment for smoke inhalation.
‘We had a very fierce fire at the end of this long driveway, so we couldn’t see the exact building,’ said John Wallworth from Fire and Rescue New South Wales.
‘We had two other trucks pull up behind us, and two people needed to be treated with first aid.’
Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area to come forward.
A resident woke to the sounds of glass breaking, and helped the other tenants to flee by smashing a window at the back of the Mitchell Street house (pictured)