The house fire which broke out at Valley Drive in Lithgow on Thursday morning, May 16 was a devastating loss for the resident, whose four dogs were killed in the blaze. For a Lithgow resident with a past connection to the home, it was also a tough sight.
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Mal Cooper, who was born in the house 75 years ago, watched on as the house he grew up in was engulfed in flames.
"I lived in that house most of my life until I moved away from Lithgow, it's been about 20 years since any of my family was in it," he said. He has since returned to town.
Mr Cooper said the street behind the car wash was named after his family as 'Cooper Close'.
"It was named after the Cooper family, we lived here before the Lithgow Plaza was built, when it was still a coal mine, we use to play in there as kids," he said.
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Mr Cooper said he received text messages about the fire early this morning.
"I got a few messages, it was quite a shock to see it up in flames," he said.
Chifley Police Detective Sergeant Paul Roe said two dogs managed to escape the blaze, which started at about 8am.
No people were injured during the fire.
Police are appealing for the two bystanders who forced the door open to contact them to help with their inquiries.
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