A house on Andrew Street, Bowenfels, was completely gutted by fire on Saturday night, September 9.
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The resident was away at the time of the blaze.
Police are investigating the cause of the fire, which destroyed the public housing premises and all of its contents during the evening.
The fire was discovered by police patrolling the area at about 8.15pm on Saturday night and the fire brigade was called.
Lithgow West Fire & Rescue Captain Paul Carter said the house was completely in flames when they arrived.
“The dwelling was fully involved and it took us about an hour to bring it under control,” he said.
“It was an old Housing Commission house, made of fibro, and we treated it as an asbestos fire, which made it a little bit more complicated.”
He said the fire, which burned very hot, was visible glowing at some distance in town.
While the resident was known to have been away from the house for some weeks, Captain Carter said there was washing found on the line in the backyard and a thorough search was carried out to make sure no one was home.
Police evacuated the homes on either side due to safety concerns, but neither building was in danger from the fire.
The fire brigade was called back to the scene about an hour later to deal with a flare-up, which was quickly contained.
A crime scene was established and the cause of the blaze is currently under investigation.