Arabic version: مصرع ثلاثة في حريق منزل في وايلي بارك

According to ABC News, three people were found dead after a fire at a Wiley Park property in Sydney’s south-west. New South Wales Police said a family was living in a granny flat at the rear of the property, where authorities discovered the bodies.

Emergency services were called to reports of the fire at about 9:45pm on Wednesday. Fire and Rescue NSW sent five fire trucks and 20 firefighters. The agency said crews encountered a ferocious fire on arrival and forced their way through the burning exterior, extinguishing scaffolding and garden trellis that had caught alight.

Firefighters then entered the granny flat in the rear of the badly damaged home and found the three bodies. Campsie Police Area Command Superintendent Sheridan Waldau said the victims had not yet been formally identified. A 52-year-old man, a 43-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy were known to live at the property, she said, while police worked with extended family members to establish identification.

Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said firefighters faced significant access issues, obstacles and a fully developed, intense fire before they could reach the granny flat. He said the property was completely destroyed and described the deaths as particularly tragic, noting the impact on firefighters and other first responders.

A crime scene has been established. Campsie Police detectives are working with the State Crime Arson Squad and fire investigators to determine the cause, which remains unknown. Investigators are expected to continue examining layers of debris at the scene, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.