A faulty fridge caused a home to catch fire in Western Sydney killing two people early this morning, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) says.
Emergency services were called to Glendenning about 4:45am to find the house already alight with two people aged in their 70s inside.
"Investigators have identified a faulty refrigerator as the cause of a fire," FRNSW said in a statement.
"The fridge's motor will be thoroughly examined by investigators."
Fire crews entered the house and managed to locate the woman, 74, as the roof began to collapse.
She was taken outside where paramedics performed CPR, but she died at the scene.
It took another hour of fighting off "aggressive flames" before crews were again able to re-enter the house where they found the body of a man, aged 77.
Two nearby residents said it was a "big loss for the community".
"It's really sad to hear this news," one woman said.
"It is a big loss for the community. It's a terrible, shocking [event] for Glendenning."
FRNSW Deputy Commissioner — Field Operations, Jeremy Fewtrell has urged the community to "be safe, not sorry" by making sure smoke alarms were working effectively.
"There have been three deaths in the first three days of winter in NSW," Deputy Commissioner Fewtrell said.
"Winter's always a concern for us, it's a time when we do see an increase in house fires and unfortunately we also see an increase in injuries and deaths.
"The deaths we've seen already this week really underscore the fire prevention and safety messages that we are issuing to the public."
FRNSW said there is a number of ways for the community to stay safe including cleaning heaters, be alert when cooking and maintaining a metre distance away from heaters.
