FIREFIGHTERS were unable to save a family home on Nebea Street, Coonamble after a blaze in the early hours of Monday 8 May.

The owners, Cheryl (aged 66) and Jack (Wally) Hume (aged 77), were at home in bed when the fire took hold.

Mr Hume said he heard cracking noises and, thinking that someone was breaking in, went to investigate.

Mrs Hume also got up and realised there was a fire.

"At that stage there was no smoke at all in our bedroom," Mr Hume said.

The pair immediately headed for the kitchen door.

"If we'd gone any other way I don't think we'd have made it," said Mr Hume.

"I think I took three breaths in the few steps it took to get there."

"By the time we got out my lungs were full of smoke."

The couple were barefoot and in pyjamas.

As they opened the door escape, air rushed through the house, exploding a large window with glass blowing out onto the front porch.

They escaped without injury but were unable to save any of their possessions, including glasses and teeth.

PHOTO: The fire is thought to have started in the roof cavity near the chimney

The Humes went to a neighbour's house, who raised the alarm and rang the Police at around 11:50pm on Sunday 7 May.

Local Fire & Rescue crews were assisted by Coonamble HQ Rural Fire Service brigade and Fire & Rescue units from Gilgandra.

The house was fully ablaze when firefighters arrived and crews worked for three hours to extinguish the fire.

"When I got there it was terrible, I thought the worst because I couldn't see them straight away," said daughter Jess Dodd. "But they were in the shadows off to the side."

Coonamble Station Commander, Andrew Morley says that the cause of the blaze is still under investigation however, it is believed to have started in the roof cavity around the fireplace near the centre of the brick home.

The house was owner-built by the Humes with assistance from local tradesmen, including Cheryl's father Harold Pennell who was a welder and constructed a unique system of steel roof trusses.

"I think that's one of the reasons the roof didn't cave in," Mr Hume said. 

The home and its contents were largely destroyed.

"The house has suffered extensive damage, and I don’t think it's recoverable," Mr Morley said. "After a fire like that usually it gets written off."

The fire is an enormous loss to Mr and Mrs Hume.

They had lived in the house, the first and only home they've owned, since it was completed in 1986.

Fortunately their pets, including an old dog, a galah and a corella were a safe distance from the blaze.

The couple are now staying with family members.

Within hours the family had already received offers of support from the local community including local businesses and the Quota Club.

"We would like to thank everyone for their help and support,” Mr Hume said.