South-west Sydney house fire leaves two people dead and one child injured.

A house fire in Sydney's southwest has claimed the lives of two people and seriously injured a young child. Around 5:30 a.m. today, a fire broke out on Rottnest Avenue in Hinchinbrook, and four people—two of them firefighters—were taken to the hospital. While paramedics provided on-site care for the occupants, a team of 60 firefighters battled the blaze.

There were six occupants in the house. Firefighters managed to save three people from the burning structure. The third, a child, was taken by emergency personnel to Westmead Children's Hospital while the other two were pronounced dead at the scene.

Three more people also made it out of the fire unharmed. Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Luke Unsworth reported that when crews arrived, they discovered a "very intense house fire." Because of the radiant heat, he claimed, "the fire was so intense that firefighters actually couldn't make it to the front door."

They managed to rescue three people there before handing them off to an ambulance for treatment after climbing up to the second floor. Unfortunately, it has been determined that two of those three people have passed away, which is tragic for the family and the neighborhood. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby residences.

In addition, two firefighters were hurt while putting out the fire; one was shocked by electricity, and the other fell through a second-story floor that was weak. Both were brought to a hospital for medical attention.

With 12 fatalities already reported this season, Superintendent Unsworth declared winter to be a "significantly dangerous time" for house fires.

When it comes to our fire-safety messaging, "we really are urging all of the local community to engage," he said. It is absolutely essential. The fire's cause is being looked into, according to Detective Chief Inspector Alyson Fenwick.

They [the family] will receive good support because this is a traumatic situation that has occurred, she said. Anyone with information about the fire was urged to contact Crime Stoppers, according to Chief Inspector Fenwick. It's likely that the building had a smoke alarm, and whether or not it was functional will be a factor in the investigation, according to Superintendent Unsworth.