Outback plumber's quick thinking helps save dogs, turtles and vintage car from house fire

Terry and Billy Parker alerted a man that his house was on fire when they saw the air-conditioning unit up in flames.

An Alice Springs tradesman has been hailed a hero after alerting a man that his house was on fire and then jumping the fence to help fight the flames with garden hoses.

It was a usual Wednesday morning for local plumber and labourer Terry Parker when he spotted flames billowing into the sky not far from where he was working in Cromwell Drive.

The tradesman jumped in the car with his apprentice son, Billy Parker, and the pair drove along the street until they found the source of the flames.

"We got to the front of the house and the air conditioner up top of the roof was on fire, you know flames shooting up four or five feet" Terry Parker said.

"I jumped out of the truck and ran in and knocked on the door and then he came out and I said, 'Hey mate your house is on fire … your house is on fire!'."

Billy Parker then called emergency services and what followed was quick thinking on the part of his father.

"We ran around the back, I jumped the fence and got a couple of hoses and started squirting up top but it wasn't doing anything, it was just getting worse," Mr Parker said.

Another man who was gardening at a nearby house also ran over to help, but it became clear to the group that garden hoses would be of little to no use as the fire had already taken hold.

The group then pushed a vintage car that was in the carport further down the driveway to protect it.

Senior Fire Station Officer David Letheby said that while the house was extensively damaged, it was a good outcome that no-one was hurt.

He said fire crews also rescued a dog and two turtles from the backyard of the house.

"At least we've sort of helped the family maintain their valuable loved ones, their pets" Mr Letheby said.

According to crews, because the fire began in the roof and then spread to the ceiling, it was very difficult to control.

"Once the roof comes down, it makes it very difficult to control the fire" Mr Letheby said.

"Our priority [then] is firefighter safety and making sure everybody is out of that building, because it's quite dangerous.

"We go into defensive mode to make sure the fire doesn't spread."

Mr Letheby said the cause of the fire was still being investigated.

The community has started an online fundraising campaign to assist the family whose home was damaged.

The homeowner was unavailable for comment.