Luckily, firefighters were able to save some prized possessions, along with the family’s pet cat and dog after the blaze erupted around 9am yesterday in the Pike St home.

“There was a dog in the backyard and a cat at the front door,” Fire and Rescue Station Commander Rod Byrnes said yesterday.

“We pushed the door in and as we pushed the door the cat jumped out and at that moment the roof caved in.”

Thick black smoke poured into the air and the flames could be seen in nearby streets as firefighters attacked the blaze from the frontyard.

“The roof was collapsing as we were doing our firefighting efforts and that’s why we carried out defensive firefighting, where we fight it from the outside,” Station Commander Byrnes said.

The intense blaze is not being treated as suspicious but the thick black smoke sparked a temporary evacuation order for nearby residents.

“We got them to evacuate or they could stay inside with their doors closed so they didn’t breathe the smoke,” Station Commander Byrnes said.

The fire was brought under control quickly and firefighters managed to protect the neighbouring homes.

No one was inside at the time but the residents returned home and could only watch on as crews doused hot spots in the brick-and-tile home.

“We saved a lot of the treasured photos and albums, we managed to get those out without too much damage, so that was good,” Station Commander Byrnes said.