Boy's incredible escape from house fire after being left alone for '15 minutes'
Christian Daubney told his mum he accidentally knocked over a candle.
A nine-year-old Sydney boy has made a miraculous escape after a fire engulfed his home while he was alone on Saturday night.
Christian Daubney was in the Penrith property by himself for "no more than 10, 15 minutes", his mum Chelsea said, while she ducked out to the shops to pick up groceries for dinner. In that small time frame, he reportedly knocked over a candle.
"He tried to put it out and it got really high, so he tried to leave the front door but the front door was locked with the keys, so he couldn't get out," Ms Daubney told 9 News, explaining she had locked the door herself believing it would keep him safe while unsupervised.
"He ended up having to smash the window and he screamed for help. He thought he was going to die," she added.
Christian smashed the front window of the two-storey home with a metal pole to escape, and was helped by a local walking by at the time.
Penrith home destroyed by fire
Chelsea returned home from the shops with her two-year-old daughter to find her home ablaze. "My first thought being that my son was dead," she said.
Emergency services were reportedly at the scene by 6:15 pm and NSW Ambulance treated Christian for cuts before he was sent to a local hospital while fire fighters tackled the flames.
"In a matter of minutes, sometimes even less, a fire can spread from a small fire in a room to a fire that is enveloping an entire house," Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Andrew Ticehrust said.
There was no damage to the adjoining properties.
Chelsea believes it is likely their family have lost everything in the fire and will need to start again, however, she is incredibly grateful they are all together.
"I guess it's just taking each day as it comes and trying to rebuild a safer home for my kids," she told 9 News.
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