As flames burst from an elderly couple's Fairfield house yesterday, there was a moment of indecision for two boys on their way to school - should they call "the fire guys" or not?
Brad Hyde (12) and Michael Cross (11) were walking towards Fairfield School about 8.20am when they heard glass breaking.
They looked back along Estuary Cres to see smoke and a large ball of fire issuing from a property, and raced back to look.
Michael said they were unsure whether to call the fire brigade immediately as they thought it might have been someone burning rubbish in their back yard.
"We didn't want to get into trouble for wasting their time.
"But then we could see smoke and flames coming out of the window.
"There was no-one else around ... so we used Brad's cellphone to call the fire guys."
Brad hoped his parents would not be angry with him for sneaking the phone to school.
But any anxiety was short-lived when the pair realised how serious the situation was.
"We saw a big ball of fire and we could feel the heat.
"It was scary. We were just hoping no-one was in there," Brad said.
Within seconds of making the call, the boys tried to alert any occupants to the fire.
"We were yelling and knocking on the window, but we had to step back because it was getting too big for us.
"We just screamed for help," Michael said.
Neighbours came out to see what was going on and, soon after, an elderly couple emerged from their burning home.
"The lady came out and she looked really scared," Michael said.
Constable Dave Bell saw the smoke from Green Island and arrived before any firefighters to find the house well alight.
Aware the residents were safe, he attempted to get into the house to close doors and restrict damage, but was thwarted by the flames.
"It was really going. I thought I could get into the garage at least to get the car out, but there was no chance."
Lookout Point Fire Brigade Station Officer Bevan Moreton said there was substantial damage to the property.
Investigations into the cause of the fire were continuing, but it appeared it was started by a heater in the living area.
Mr Moreton praised the boys for their actions and told them never to be scared to call the fire brigade.
"It's better to turn up and find a non-event, than turn up to something far worse."
While wanting to stay to see the drama unfold, Brad and Michael continued their walk to school.
"We had to go. We didn't want to be late to school," Brad said.
