In a little over half an hour on Sunday night a Kanahooka home was gutted by a blaze that was like a "fireball".
The two-storey Darren Avenue was almost consumed by the fire, which started around 8.15pm Sunday.
A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said it looked like the fire started in the downstairs garage before sweeping up into the rest of the house.
It is believed the garage contained a lot of paints and chemicals which may have fueled the blaze - a line of paint cans was strewn along the driveway and residents said they were there before the fire started.
The blaze shattered the windows along the side of the house, spraying glass into neighbours' yards and the heavy black smoke left its mark on the brickwork.
Inside the house seemed largely destroyed, with a large hole in the roof.
Fire fighters from four stations were able to get the fire out in about half an hour - quick enough that a wooden balcony at the rear of the home appeared untouched.
Steve Wirra lives next-door to the house. He was preparing to watch a James Bond movie on Sunday night when he noticed a heavy smell of smoke.
"I thought I'd left the stove on, so I raced out there but nothing was on," Mr Wirra said.
"Then I heard someone banging on the door telling me to get out, there's a fire."
Before leaving the house, he raised the alarm with a woman living in a separate home behind his. He then rushed down the concrete path that runs right alongside the burning home.
"When I came out of the house, I could see the flames and there were all sorts of explosions in there," he said.
"I saw a fireball coming out of the garage."
He and other residents were sent down the street away to avoid smoke inhalation.
He was allowed to return home once firefighters checked the air inside his house for signs of smoke.
A NSW Ambulance spokesman said a resident of the burning house was treated at the scene for a soft tissue injury but refused transport to hospital.
A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said it seemed there were no suspicious circumstances.
NSW Police have set up a crime scene at the house and forensic officers arrived on Monday morning to look through the burnt-out shell of the house.