Fire destroys home and painter's priceless works

A Brisbane couple is extremely lucky to be alive, after escaping a burning home in Ashgrove early this morning.

The blaze started in the garage, before spreading to the house.

Dylan Jones and Mia Barlow were asleep at the time, and ran for their lives when they woke to flames taking over the two-story home.

In a tragic twist, Mr Jones was an artist and has lost up to 20 of his paintings.

The work had been due to be displayed in galleries in Brisbane and Sydney next year.

Speaking live on the Today Show, Mr Jones said he would not know the full extent of what had been lost until he was allowed back inside the house.

"It really devastates me," he said.

His girlfriend added, "When you put your heart and soul into something and when you're self-employed and you lose everything, it's pretty tough."

The couple were struggling to hold back tears as they spoke, but despite their heartbreaking loss, they were able to find a positive.

"We're both alive and well. I have my arms, I can paint," Mr Jones said.

"I can't paint those same paintings again... But I want to do [them] again better."

Mr Jones also runs a landscaping business and is affectionately known as the "Picasso Tradie". 

His artwork was shown on Today Show earlier this year.

Police have declared the blaze non-suspicious; and fire investigators will spend the day on scene to try to determine what caused it.