Firefighters' efforts hampered by massive rubbish piles as blaze destroys house

Firefighters’ efforts to battle a huge blaze that destroyed a house in Sydney’s inner west this afternoon were hampered by huge piles of rubbish strewn around the building.

Six crews were called to the Bridge Street property in Homebush around noon and found the building well alight.

Crews fought hard against the blaze but their efforts were hampered by mounds of rubbish strewn over the property.

“There is a large fuel load both inside and outside the house and surrounding yard and we are having a lot of trouble getting to the base of the fire to extinguish it,” Inspector Drew Wilson said.

Neighbours have claimed that the property owner was a hoarder.

The fire destroyed about 80 percent of the building and caused the roof to collapse.

Authorities will visit the property tomorrow to investigate the cause of the fire.