22/10/2025
Do you know someone living with hoarding? We can assist in a few different ways. Please use the links in our Commissioners post.
HOUSE FIRE: PERSONS REPORTED
I still remember the first time I read those words on the printout. We’d been to plenty of “HOUSE FIRES,” but “PERSONS REPORTED” changed everything. It meant someone was likely trapped inside, and that changes the urgency, the risks, and the choices that follow.
The truth is, we rarely know what we’re actually walking into. A “rubbish fire” might turn out to be a car well alight. The third automatic fire alarm of the day at a hospital could be a ward actually burning.
Every front door hides a different story because we don’t know how people live, and while it’s not our place to judge, it is our job to make things safer.
This year in NSW, 29 people have lost their lives in house fires. Tragically, 10 of them were described as living with hoarding.
When the Community labels someone, we stop seeing them and collectively feel less responsible for any outcome. That’s when risk gets missed, which is sadly why hoarding and squalor contribute to around 12% of fire fatalities, usually with people over the age of 50.
Why this matters: cords and power boards snaking through rooms, heaters too close to clutter, exits blocked or hard to reach. Then, if a fire starts, rescues are slower, escapes are harder, and there’s more fuel to burn.
Due to the complexities with hoarding, the solution isn’t a skip bin and a lecture; it’s respect, patience, and small, practical steps that last.
Communities keep people safe when we choose curiosity and empathy over judgment, so what I’m asking our community today:
Empathise with those around you. Use person-first language, say “a person living with hoarding” instead of “they’re a hoarder.”
If you know someone who might need help, you can recommend our services. If you don’t know them personally, you can still start the process by submitting a form: https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=913
For people living with hoarding:
Win one small safety victory: clear a path to the front door, keep heaters and cooktops clear, and test smoke alarms, especially near bedrooms.
Need help? Our crews can visit for free to quietly check alarms and check exits without judgment. Follow this link: www.fire.nsw.gov.au/visits
If it’s a fire risk but not an emergency, let us know so support can begin. https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=913
As a fire service, we’re accountable not only for how we respond to emergencies, but also for what we do to prevent them. If we work together, people living with hoarding will be safer today and supported to find a path out of unlivable conditions tomorrow.
📷: A resident of Avalon was living with hoarding when she lost her life in a house fire earlier this year. Northern Beaches Advocate