Elderly man in hospital after Karrinyup house fire

Neighbours were on hand to drag an elderly man from his northern suburbs home early this morning after a devastating fire tore through the property.

Dramatic footage captured by neighbour Deborah Thompson shows towering flames close to licking power lines after the fire took hold at the home on Murray Way in Karrinyup just before 1am.

Ms Thompson said she woke to the sound of asbestos cracking and went out to her balcony.

“I heard the glass breaking from the windows,” she said.

“The people next door were hosing down the fence to secure their place.

“We were worried about the powerline, the fire was very high. I was very worried when I saw the embers.”

Zeb Coombes, who lives across the road, said the fire was ferocious.

“By the time I was out the road, he was out on the ground... he was lying down and in shock,” he said.

“The fire progressed quite quickly, I dragged him away from the fire. We were the first out there and then eventually a lot of people came down.

“It sounded like popping and crackling, I thought it was someone using a hammer and nails.”

Department of Fire and Emergency Services said it took firefighters almost an hour to bring the fire under control.

“Due to the intensity and involvement of the fire, crews employed external firefighting tactics to protect nearby structures.”

The man, who is in his 70’s, was given first aid at the scene and taken to Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

The blaze caused an estimated $250,000 in damage.

Fire Investigation Officers are still on scene to try to determine the cause of the blaze.