A one-year-old girl died in a fierce unit fire in Queanbeyan on Monday afternoon.
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Her 22-year-old mother is in a serious but stable condition.
Crews found the girl's body about 4pm after being called to the fire shortly after 2.30pm.
The mother and her three-year-old son were rescued from the balcony and taken to The Canberra Hospital.
Emergency Services said the mother was to be "treated for minor burns" and the boy for smoke inhalation.
But at 7pm, an ACT Health Spokesperson said the mother was in a serious but stable condition and the boy was in a stable condition.
Three police officers were also treated for smoke inhalation.
Inspector Luke Unsworth from Fire & Rescue NSW said when firefighters entered the unit, they battled "an intense fire with a lot flame" to search for the little girl until their gas cylinders ran out of air.
He said due to the type of material burning, much of it would catch alight straight after being extinguished.
About the time they ran out of air, ACT Fire & Rescue arrived to continue the search and found the girl dead.
"It is with great sadness today that we are here in Queanbeyan," Inspector Unsworth said.
"I've just visited the unit and had a look through, and it is immediately obvious to anyone who goes in there the intensity of the fire."
"It's lucky that we didn't actually have three fatalities from this fire."
Inspector Unsworth said residents helped firefighters find the best way to access the fire, while NSW Police helped firefighters quickly take the ladder off the truck to rescue the mother and son.
Firefighters did not find a working fire alarm, but said it was too early to tell whether one was installed.
They did not yet know the cause of the blaze.
A woman who lives across the road, Elizabeth Bildin, said she heard screaming inside the unit at around 2pm and smelled a lot of smoke.
"I was terrified," she said.
"It is so upsetting to know that this has happened in our street. Nothing bad ever happens here."
Another neighbour, Abdulla Suman, said smoke was hanging high in the air from both sides of the unit and there was a group of people outside, looking distraught.
"I could also see some peoples' faces in the windows of the other units and they looked upset," he said.
"It is very sad. I think to myself - what if this was my child?" he asked, while pointing to his toddler beside him.
Police are investigating and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.