- Link to family's GoFundMe page at bottom of this story
Ruby Farmer's face is still smudged with soot, the clothes she's wearing are borrowed from a neighbour and her eyes are filled with tears, so many tears.
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A little over 12 hours ago siblings Ruby and Jack Farmer, their grandmother Roslyn Williams and dog Scooby were in their Minnamurra home when a fire erupted.
Ruby, aged 23, had just slid into the warm water of the bathtub to relax when she looked out the window and saw flames. Seconds later the smoke alarm sounded. It was 6.47pm on Tuesday, May 7.
She jumped out of the water, threw a dressing gown around herself and yelled.
"I said 'Jack, Jack, fire' and then we grabbed my nan," Ruby said.
"She said 'I need my handbag' and I said 'grandma I need to get you out'."
The siblings raced and their grandma raced downstairs through the smoke as flames were tearing into all their precious belongings. They stopped when they reached the safety of their front lawn on Charles Avenue.
It was then they realised miniature dachshund Scooby was still inside, but the fire was so intense, flames were bursting out the windows and doors, with thick, black smoke billowing out towards them.
The temperature inside reached around 1000 degrees as the fire raged from room-to-room downstairs before spreading upstairs, firefighters said.
"The residents were frantic, but they were being supported by residents [in the street]," Fire and Rescue NSW Shellharbour Station Officer Paul Doswell said.
He was in the first fire truck to arrive and the scene was confronting.
The fire was so ferocious that it was too dangerous for firefighters to enter the home, so they trained their hoses on the house from the outside.
"It was a brick home with concrete floors and ceilings so it was very, very hot inside. It was like an oven," Station Officer Doswell said.
It was a brick home with concrete floors and ceilings so it was very, very hot inside. It was like an oven.
- Fire and Rescue NSW Shellharbour Station Officer Doswell
By now neighbours had gathered and the street had filled with more fire trucks, ambulances and police.
Jack, 21, had only arrived back in Australia that morning from a two-month holiday in Bali, he hadn't even had one night's sleep in his own bed, and now he stood with his sister and their grandmother watching as the inferno destroyed everything and threatened neighbouring properties.
Scooby was still inside, they last saw him upstairs.
"I just kept praying and hoping that they would find him and the firies did," Ruby said.
As crews brought the blaze under control, Kiama firefighters Hayley Uren and Matt Kelly put on breathing cylinders and headed inside to look for Scooby.
The smoke was thick upstairs, they felt their way across surfaces, looking under furniture and in corners. Pets often run and hide somewhere small during a house fire.
Finally firefighter Uren checked under an armchair and found him.
"I knew he was alive because he actually tried to run away from me at first, he was obviously really frightened because we've got lights on and we look like aliens. We've got the big helmets and we're not recognisable as people. He was terrified," she said.
She took her gloves off and grabbed him and he stopped.
"I'm a massive dog lover, I've always had dogs and I grew up with dachshund as well. As soon as I saw him, I was just so relieved, I knew that we weren't going to leave that house without the dog."
Scooby suffered from smoke inhalation and needed oxygen, but he was alive.
"When they saw him they just started crying. They came running over to grab him and give me a hug. It was really lovely," firefighter Uren said.
When they saw him they just started crying. They came running over to grab him and give me a hug. It was really lovely.
- Fire and Rescue NSW Kiama firefighter Hayley Uren
The fire burnt so hot, with so many pockets of smouldering items that firefighters from Kiama, Shellharbour and Albion Park were at the house until after midnight.
The home was destroyed, an electrical fault blamed for sparking the blaze.
"There was a TV and stereos along a wall. We've determined it was along that wall, but we couldn't see the exact appliance that started it. It also could have been a power board they were plugged into," Station Officer Doswell said.
Roslyn had lived in her home for more than 50 years, her daughter Kylie Farmer lives downstairs but wasn't home at the time. Ruby and Scooby had been visiting to catch up with Jack after his holiday. They have lost everything and the home wasn't insured.
"We're not the kind of people who ask for help, but we really need help," Ruby said.
Fire and Rescue NSW Acting Inspector David Hill praised firefighters for keeping neighbouring properties safe from the flames.
"They did really well to stop it impacting on neighbouring homes," he said.
The fire comes two days after a Dapto mother, daughter and their pet dog escaped a fire in their home.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family recover.
Free smoke alarm, fire safety advice for your home
Firefighters are so concerned about the number of house fires in the Illawarra, they've teamed up with the Illawarra Mercury to provide free smoke alarms (including free installation) and fire safety advice for residents.
There is no catch, the smoke alarm is free and so is the fire safety advice.
If you're reading this story on your mobile phone click here to book, otherwise scan the QR code below to request a free smoke alarm.