Bathurst fire, Havannah Street: Man treated for smoke inhalation

Fire and emergency service personnel were called to a property on Havannah Street at 7.22pm on Monday following reports of a fire.

Fire and Rescue NSW Bathurst Station Officer Guy Dover said upon arrival the flames were soaring 20 metres high.

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"It was hard to access and hard to put out because there was a lot of stored stuff. It probably took three hours to put out," he said.

Station Officer Dover said two motorbikes along with a lot of wood, plastic and other materials had been stored in the garage and shed.

"It was a shed that was attached to a garage and it was also accommodation for a gentleman," he said.

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"The man who slept in the shed had a little bit of smoke inhalation and was attended to by ambulance [officers] on scene but was not transported [to hospital]."

Residents from the house on the same property along with the house nextdoor were evacuated during the emergency.

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Station Officer Dover said the fire was ignited by a faulty electric blanket.

"He [the resident] bought a new one but it failed so he pulled the old one back out," he said.

Fire and Rescue NSW Bathurst Station Officer Guy Dover said the Havannah Street resident had folded his electric blanket when it was stored away.

This should never be done, Station Officer Dover explained, as it can cause damage to the blanket.

"The small electrical wires that produce the heat break or crack and they can produce a fire," he said.

"When storing your electrical blanket always roll rather than fold and have it checked regularly by a qualified electrician."

Firefighters were called to another fire in the early hours for Tuesday morning.

At 12.30am, Fire and Rescue NSW crews from Bathurst and Kelso were called to reports of a garage fire at Simmons Place in Kelso.

Station Officer Dover said upon arrival crews discovered discarded furniture had been set alight alongside the garage of an abandoned townhouse.

There were no reported injuries and police also attended the scene.