Man charged after allegedly torching Berkeley family's home while they were on holidays

The Kelly Street family of two adults and two children were out of the area when their house erupted in flames at 12.45am on January 5.

When firefighters arrived at the home it was fully engulfed and the house was destroyed. Nobody was injured during the blaze.

Following investigations and a CCTV appeal, police arrested a 29-year-old man at Albion Park at 11am on Wednesday, January 17.

He has been charged with damage property by fire/explosion, knowingly make false/misleading statement, and not comply P1/P2 high performance vehicle restriction.

The man was refused bail and will appear in Wollongong Local Court on Thursday, January 18.

"Police will allege in court that the man damaged another vehicle by fire at Collector, about 35 kilometre southeast of Goulburn, on Wednesday, January 10, 2024," a NSW Police spokeswoman said.

Fire and Rescue NSW Warrawong Station Officer Mick Adams was among the first firefighters to arrive at the house fire, and said flames were erupting through the roof as the fire truck pulled up.

"Every single room was on fire when we got there," he said.

Specialist HAZMAT firefighters from Shellharbour were called to the fire due to large amounts of asbestos present in the home.

Detectives established Strike Force Palmyra and commenced an investigate into the cause of the fire.