Fire and Rescue NSW is reminding the community that smoke alarms can save lives, after firefighters were called to a blaze at Lake Macquarie on Sunday night that "could have had tragic consequences".
Emergency crews were called to the home at Toronto after a fire in a wheelie bin outside the house took hold as a family slept.
Heat broke the window of the home and the fire caught the curtains inside, with smoke getting into the house.
A hard-wired smoke alarm alerted the family and they got out of the building safely.
Luckily, the house was also saved.
Fire and Rescue NSW says the law requires a working smoke alarm to be installed on each level of an occupied premises and they must be tested regularly.
If you cannot do it yourself, Fire and Rescue NSW runs free home fire safety visits.
