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Elderly 'hoarder' dies in house fire in Sydney's west

An elderly man has died in a Sydney house fire after mounds of rubbish blocked firefighters from entering his burning home.

Firefighters arrived at the 73-year-old's home in Old Toongabbie around 1am but were unable to gain entry to the property because items piled around and in the house blocked their way.

“Access to the premises was made extremely difficult by the extraordinary amount of household items, there are suggestions that the occupant was a hoarder,” junior commander Steven Parkins told 7 News.

Firefighters were called to the home in Old Toongabbie around 1am. Source: 7 News.
Firefighters were called to the home in Old Toongabbie around 1am. Source: 7 News.
Access to the house was blocked by large piles of items and rubbish. Source: 7 News.
Access to the house was blocked by large piles of items and rubbish. Source: 7 News.

Crews managed to smash a window and pull the 73-year-old man out from the burning home, which did not have a fire alarm.

Police Acting Inspector Jeff Ludkin said the man was unconscious when he was found but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. He died at the scene.

The elderly man was unconcious when he was found. Source: 7 News.
The elderly man was unconcious when he was found. Source: 7 News.

No other people were found at the home where the man lived with his three beloved dogs.

While his two Greyhounds survived the house fire, his Jack Russell is yet to be found.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Source: 7 News.
Source: 7 News.

Before firefighters arrived at the scene neigbours attempted to gain access to the property by using a garbage bin to smash a window.

Neigbour Adrian Webb told 7 News that residents tried desperately to save the elderly man from the burning building.

“We'd already rung the fire brigade, you know how time is in situations like this, you know you ring and you expect them there like seconds later but minute seems like hours and the flames were getting more and more tense.”

Nearby resident Christopher Robinson told the ABC he believed the man who died was a hoarder.

"At one stage there he filled his car up with that much stuff he ended up buying another car to actually drive around in rather than actually empty the car out," he said.

"I imagine inside the house there was a lot of stuff in there."

Officers have established a crime scene, which will be forensically examined.

News break – December 23