A house fire that spread to an adjoining property has “totally destroyed” one home, and “significantly damaged” a second, on King Street in Cessnock.
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Thick black plumes of smoke rose over the Cessnock CBD skyline on Monday afternoon as as the fire burned in an adjoining street.
The blaze broke out just before 3pm at a home on King Street.
A spokesperson for Fire and Rescue NSW said firefighters arrived to find black smoke coming from the rear of the house.
“It quickly spread to the second house,” the spokesperson said.
“Flames went through the roof of the first house and spread to the neighbouring home.”
More than a dozen crews battled to control the fire, with firefighters from Cessnock, Bellbird, Mayfield West, Kurri Kurri, Branxton, Newcastle, Minmi, Lambton, Holmesville and East Maitland attending the scene.
An hour into combating the blaze, Fire and Rescue NSW released a statement on social media saying crews were “in defensive mode”, fighting the fire from the exterior of the houses after the roof of the first home collapsed.
The crews managed to control the blaze by 5pm on Monday evening.
The Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson said both structures were significantly damaged.
“The first home, a small residential house, was totally destroyed by fire,” he said.
“And 30 per cent of the second home is destroyed.
“Thankfully, firefighters stopped it from spreading further.”
Ambulance NSW said paramedics assessed two people at the scene but no one was taken to hospital.
Residents of both properties were successfully evacuated.
More details to come.
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