Despite their best efforts, the fire, which started around 6am on Tuesday morning, quickly engulfed the home owned by Lola and Tom Bryant. 

Cowra Fire Service Captain Chris Murray said the fire was well alight upon their arrival. 

“It was about 6:05am we got a call. On our way up Redfern Street, we could see a large column of smoke and by then, the fire was breaking fairly well, there was smoke coming out from the eves,” he said. 

“It was coming through the roof.” 

According to Capt Murray, the cause of the blaze is still unknown at this stage however it may have been started by a solar panel. 

He said it is still too unsafe for fire investigators to enter the house. 

“We’ve been told a few things by the neighbours, it could have been possibly started by a solar panel but that’s up to the investigators to look at,” he said. 

“We are going to try and get it knocked over, there’s a few spots that we can’t reach but we don’t want to put anyone in there and risk their lives because the roof is compromised, it could fall down.”

Captain Murray said however the cause of the fire is not suspicious.

“We’ll stay here and monitor it until the crime scene come here and look at it. It’s not a suspicious fire but still needs to be investigated due to the value of the house,” he said. 

Capt Murray said only Mrs Bryant was in the house at the time of the fire and managed to escape, however the house is completely destroyed. 

“The house is totally gone, everything inside,” he said. 

“There’s allegedly a cellar there but we haven’t been able to gain access to that.”

Capt Murray thanked the quick-thinking neighbours who helped first responders on the scene. 

“The neighbours were running around, pulling hoses out for us, putting gas bottles, BBQ gas bottles outside. The neighbours were very helpful when we first got here.”