Four dogs have died in a Lithgow house fire this morning.
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Chifley Police District's Detective Sergeant Paul Roe said two more dogs managed to escape the blaze, which started on Valley Drive at about 8am on Thursday.
The resident had left the home to go to work before the house caught fire.
The cause of the blaze was still under investigation, but Detective Sergeant Roe said it was not suspicious.
Location of Valley Drive, Lithgow ...
Bystanders who saw the house catch fire forced the door open, allowing two of the dogs to escape.
They could not enter the house due to the fire, which had already taken hold of the building.
Fire and Rescue NSW crews attended and four dogs were found inside the building. 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.
The blaze is a terrible blow for the home's occupant but it was also hard to watch for a long-time Lithgow resident who had a past connection to the property.
Mal Cooper, who was born in the house 75 years ago, watched on this morning 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.
- Mal Cooper
"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.
Mr Cooper has since returned to town. He 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.
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.
The two surviving dogs were picked up by the Lithgow City Council ranger for care until their owner could be notified.
Valley Drive was been blocked this morning as emergency vehicles attended the scene. There were also concerns about asbestos contamination.