A Riverside couple woke to the sound of smashing glass as fire ripped through their home in the middle of the night.
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The blaze quickly engulfed the Dion Crescent home about 2.30am Thursday, with a power board believed to be at the centre of the incident.
The homeowners were inside sleeping when the fire broke out, but were “lucky” to escape out the back door.
They heard windows breaking and after trying to leave their bedroom they were confronted with flames “coming up the hallway”.
The roof had collapsed by the time emergency services arrived.
Other residents were evacuated as the fire threatened surrounding homes.
Neighbours said the house was “well ablaze” when they woke up to sirens.
Brett Henry, whose house overlooks the property where the fire started, said he woke up to “people screaming”.
“I thought I was dreaming and I looked out my window and saw the fire and thought ‘omg is this real’,” he said.
“The flames were massive.”
It took 14 firefighters from three crews about an hour to contain the incident.
Speaking at the scene, Launceston station officer Heath Bracey said it had been a difficult blaze to bring under control.
“There were three crews, two from Launceston and due to the fire intensity, Legana was called in as backup,” he said.
The home had smoke alarms, but they did not sound, Mr Bracey said.
Nobody was injured in the fire, but two cats remained missing from the home.
It is understood the house will be demolished and damage was estimated to be more than $500,000.
Tasmania Fire Service investigators finished up at the scene on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Bracey said while the fire was deemed an accident, it was important to residents to ensure their power boards were switched off when not in use.